Deep In the Heart
by ForestOfRowan
Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, nobody was the same. In the case of Draco and Hermione, it wasn't just the war that changed them, it was the people effected by the war. Now, 5 years later, they've crossed paths for the first time in the least likely of places, Texas.
1. Ch 1 Something Familiar

Deep In the Heart

ForestOfRowan

Chapter 1 Something Familiar

 **Howdy everyone, thank you for taking a moment from your day to read this! I'm desperate for reviews, this is my first ever fic and I'm quite nervous on how it will be received. I have 0 Betas so if there are any fatal mistakes it is their faults.**

Disclaimer: All rights to Harry Potter, its characters, settings, spells etc. belong to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I make no profit from this story.

5 years, 2 months and 4 days after the Battle at Hogwarts, a physically and emotionally exhausted Hermione Granger stepped out of the crammed sky bridge and into her new life. Unfortunately, her first memory was while waiting in line at customs, where a small, blonde, slightly green child proceeded to vomit all over her legs and shoes.

 _At least I'll have something to keep me entertained for my first night. I hope someone has a washer I can use, a scouring charm only goes so far._

She assured the young girls father that she was alright and there was no real harm done. She then rushed to the bathroom and cast a quick spell on her jeans that took away all evidence of vomit, minus the smell and a small crusty bit near her hem.

Once Hermione made it out the airport doors with her luggage, she headed towards the top floor of the parking garage where she opened an electrical closet door with a red "Do Not Enter" sign, and walked into the Wizarding Customs Office. It was enchanted to fit a small desk and filing cabinet with enough space for an apparition point for a family plus their luggage to squeeze in. However, there was not enough room left over for the over sized man sitting in the desk, who seemed very uncomfortable as he was crammed so tightly between the wall and the cabinet, his shoulders were up somewhere by his ears.

Mr. Goldgate, as the name plate on his desk assigned him to be, was an aging, bald wizard who had a small nose, mouth, and ears which made his frighteningly large blue eyes seem even larger under his thin white eyebrows. Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that he had to shrink the desk each time he came in and out of the office, and had to cover a giggle with a cough as she imagined the large man delicately picking up his blue robes to carefully step over the shrunken desk.

"Everything alright Ma'am? Ya look like ya need a glass of water," he said in a thick southern accent, raising a thin eyebrow.

"No, no I'm alright thank you. Just a tickle," she said before reaching to shake his hand, which was a struggle due to his arm being pinned to the wall.

"I'm Hermione Granger, I was told that you were expecting me?"

"Oh yes, Ms. Granger! I hope yer flight was good. We have a few matters to attend to, and then ya can go on yer way and get settled," he said smiling "First matter of business, I need to register yer wand with our data bases. Now I don't think you'll be goin' out and causin' problems but ya know, ya can never be to careful!" he drawled. She nodded, handed him her wand, and waited patiently as he jotted out its information on a piece of parchment before handing it back to her.

"Now Ma'am, as ya know, the laws here ain't much different from the ones y'all have back home. But if ya have any questions ma'am, just contact the ministry. There are different branches fer each state, if ya are ever to visit else where, all the offices are located in the capital buildings. Any questions?" After she shook her head he continued, "Also I must inform ya Ms. Granger, that ya only have to return here if, or when, ya travel by plane. Floo, portkey and broom travel arrangements apply to those offices."

"Thank you sir, is that all?"

He nodded causing his second chin to waggle dangerously. She stood up, shrunk her bags, put them in her pocket, and turned around to the apparition point. As she prepared to apparate, Mr. Goldgate cleared his throat and said, "Welcome to Texas Ms. Granger!"

* * *

Hermione apparated into the lobby of the Denver St. Apartments located in the center of wizard Dallas. The lavish building only had 300 floors, 2 apartments per floor, and was designed to be altered however the owner desired with limited apparition points and floo access. It was perfect for people who wanted to live apart from the press or the outside world.

Anxious to get to her apartment, Hermione quickly walked up to the front desk; she waited patiently for the small raven haired witch, around her age, who sat reclining in a chair working on a Sudoku out of a muggle newspaper to notice her. When she finally realized someone was waiting on her, she sighed and put down the newspaper before plastering on a big fake smile and drawling, "Can I help you ma'am?"

"Yes hello, I'm Hermione Granger apartment 221A," she said handing the girl her signed lease papers.

"Alright ma'am, nice to meet you, I'm Andi," she said her smile becoming more friendly.

"I work the desk durin' the day and Philip works it durin' the evening," she held up a ring with several different colored keys hanging from it, "these are the keys for the elevator, your apartment, the windows, garbage chute located in your hall, and the floo if you desire to use it. Every floo in the building is connected to all the stores here in Agathon Ally which is sorta like y'all's Digglethon Ally back home, so I've heard." She put the ring on the desk before taking another large breath and continuing again, "sorry but you have to ride up the elevator to your floor, if you and the person across the hall from you agree on it, y'all can set up an apparition point so that you don't have to ride it every time. That shouldn't be too much of a problem though," she said a dreamy look on her face, "the man across the hall from you is very nice, and I think he comes from the same place as you, his accent sounds the same at least, so it shouldn't be too hard for y'all to get along I suppose, but what would I know," she said with a nervous laugh.

Before Hermione had a chance to voice her concerns of living that close to someone who might know her, Andi had moved out from behing her desk and shooed her towards the elevator unlocking it with the orange key before handing Hermione the ring. The last thing she saw before the gold doors slid shut was Andi returning to her original pose and waving to Hermione with a friendly smile on her face.

She slid down the wall opposite the doors and crossed her arms on her knees looking up at the display panel that showed she had 15 minutes until she would reach her floor. The elevator seemed to be made in the slow moving muggle fashion instead of the breakneck wizard way. She groaned and put her head on her arms.

Moving to Texas was supposed to be her escape from all things Britain, and any chance of someone recognizing her. After 5 years of constantly being followed around by the press. She could hardly go out in public without someone stopping her and begging her for information. There were always flashing cameras following her when she went out. Lavender Brown even camped outside her building for a week trying to get a story for Witch Weekly. Hermione had to stop visiting her parents after a few years because the press found a way of following her there as well.

On top of the press, she was fleeing from Ron. They got together soon after the Battle of Hogwarts, moving in together almost immediately. He got a position as a Keeper for the Chudley Cannons and was often away for games. He managed to convince her she didn't need to pursue Healing because he would make enough money through the Cannons. That should have been her first indication to leave, but Hermione was convinced she was in love with him, and him her.

Over time, reports started surfacing about Ron's wild escapades with beautiful women while touring. For the first year she firmly believed that it wasn't true. That changed when Hermione came home from her parents home early one night and found him naked in the kitchen with two other women. He told her that it was the first time and that it was an accident, and she believed it. Eventually, he started bringing home women every few weeks, then days. She foolishly stayed with him though figuring that it was just a stage and he would eventually get over it for good.

By the time the next year and a half rolled around, she had become immune to the constant stream of woman coming in and out of her home. She cleaned after Ron and his woman, as if she were his housekeeper and not his girlfriend. If he wasn't coming home with a woman, he was coming back drunk. Those nights, he would throw things around the apartment, most of the time almost hitting her with the flying object. He would never become physical with her, but many nights, she could see in his eyes that he was close to doing so. At this point, she knew they didn't love each other anymore. She finally sat him down before he went out one night and they came to an agreement. He could keep doing what he was doing but they we'rent together and she was leaving. If they had to, they would go out and pretend that everything was okay. He agreed but asked if she would do his laundry before she left.

A tear slipped down her face as she thought of all the time she wasted sitting on her ass waiting for him to come around and grow up. Thank Merlin for Ginny and Harry she thought as another tear slipped down her cheek at the thought of the only two friends she ever had and was forced to leave behind. The night she left Ron, they welcomed her into Number 12 Grimmauld Place, with open arms and a wet kiss from little James. She stayed with them for two weeks, they helped her find a new flat, had her over for dinner almost every night so she wouldn't get too lonely. Harry tried to talk to Ron, but he ignored Harry and eventually blocked Number 12's floo network.

The only thing they couldn't do was keep Ron from finding her. When she moved out of Number 12 the first time, it was just a matter of days before he was pounding on her door at 2 A.M. She had let the sobbing man in and made him a cup of tea as he sat on her couch trying to blubber out words. It took three nights of that for him to finally speak real words, asking her to move back in with him, claiming he would change. She refused but he came back every night. After several weeks, she moved out of that apartment but he managed to find her at the new one. Every time she would move somewhere new, he would find her and demand she come back.

After her third move, she started putting up heavy wards on her apartment. She walked into her dark apartment one night after dinner with Harry and Ginny. When she turned on the light, she was met with the sight of all of her furniture and books ripped up and scattered. A path of torn clothes led from her bedroom to where Ron was swaying drunkenly in the middle of the room, shoulders heaving. He ran towards her, red faced and threw her as hard as he could into the wall. He didn't say anything, just threw open the door and left. When she regained consciousness, she was back at Number 12.

In the last year and a half, she had lived in almost 20 different places, she didn't sleep most nights, no matter how many wards she put up, for fear of Ron catching her off guard and hurting her again. She couldn't figure out how he kept finding her but each time he did, he would yell and scream and cry about how much he missed her and what an ass he had been and how he was sorry he fucked up and that he would change.

The plan to move her to America had been offered up by Ginny one night after Hermione showed up in their floo after 4 months and 3 different moves. Harry, Hermione and a copy cat James quickly threw up objections to the plan however saying it was too far, too noticeable and too ridiculous. After she showed up at their home for the 20th time, Harry and Ginny sat her down and told her that they had been doing some negotiating and asking around for a few months and were able to figure out a way for her to move to Texas in two weeks by muggle plane with no way to trace her. After a few hours and quite a few drinks, she decided it was the best idea and the only shot she would have for some peace.

They put her in contact with the American Minister of Magic, Sarah Jadegill as they planned her move to America. Minister Jadegill was able to set her up with a job in a book store in Agathon Ally across from her building and complete access to the ministry library. Its not the she needed a job, her vault was overflowing with reward money from the ministry. Hermione gladly took the job so she wouldn't go crazy and with hopes of having many hours to expand her healing knowledge so that one day she could become a Healer.

Now here she was in an elevator in Texas with 5 minutes left till she would get to her floor crying about how pathetic she felt. No friends, no family, and all the hard work maybe gone to waste because of some "very nice man" with a British accent living across the hall. The elevator dinged and Hermione stood up wiping the tears from her face and pulling out the key ring.

Once the door opened, Hermione stepped out into the short hallway fumbling with the keys trying to figure out which one would open her door. She looked up long enough to notice dark purple wall paper and a plush purple and gold carpet, and 221 A on the right. Lucky bastard in 221B of course someone else would get that she thought walking over to her door.

Having still not figured out which key would open her door, she first tried the green. When she tried the blue, she heard the door behind her open and someone walk into the hall. The noise startled her and she dropped the ring.

"Blast", she muttered before stiffly bending over to pick it up trying to ignore the person behind her, hoping they wouldn't realize who she was. She caught a glimpse of dark slacks and dress shoes before turning back to the door. As she tried the purple she heard something drop behind her and the scent of cat litter filled her nose before she heard a surprised, unfortunately familiar, voice say, "Granger?" as she slowly turned around to face the last person she would ever expect to see there. Draco Malfoy.


	2. Ch 2 Stop, Drop and Stammer

Deep In the Heart

ForestOfRowan

Ch. 2 Stop, Drop and Stammer

 **Howdy everyone thank you, again, for taking a moment from your day to read this second part of Deep In the Heart! I still have 0 Betas so if there are any fatal mistakes it is still their faults. This chapter has mentions of torture in it, so please be wary of that fact.**

Disclaimer: All rights to Harry Potter, its characters, settings, spells etc. belong to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I make no profit from this story.

Draco sat stiffly in the hard plastic chair by his mothers hospital bed. He hadn't moved since she had fallen asleep a few hours prior, the only thing helping him from joining her was the constant ticking of the clock and the muggle heart monitor's beeping. After awhile, the sounds became soothing and as he slowly started to fall asleep, he was jolted awake by his father returning to his portrait hanging from the wall across from his mother's bed.

Lucius made as much noise as possible getting settled in the large green chair and when he caught Draco glaring muttered, "Scum." He hated that portrait, it was a constant reminder as to why they had to move to the, balmy one day, freezing the next hell hole of Dallas, Texas. Every time he saw the portrait, he thought back to the day 5 years 9 months and 3 days ago when Lucius Malfoy went insane after Voldemort's death and locked his son and wife in the cold dungeons below their safe house hidden in the hills of south east Siberia. The safe house had thousands of years of Malfoy wards and protections. Only a Malfoy or someone in the employment of a Malfoy knew of and could enter the grounds.

Lucius spent six months torturing Draco, trying to force him into taking his "rightful" position as the "New Dark Lord." For three months he whipped, beat, starved, cursed, hexed, cut, burned and brought Draco to the brink of death and back in hopes that he would snap and do his bidding. When physical torture didn't work and his skin was too scarred to cut anymore, Lucius moved on. One of Draco's biggest weakness, and the reason he was sitting in that blasted chair.

His mother had a simple, muggle, brain tumor that had been discovered a few weeks before the Battle of Hogwarts. It could have been easily removed at St. Mungo's but had an extensive recovery time. Due to the war being so volatile, they might have had to flee at any time, so nothing was done. When first taken to the safe house, Draco and Narcissa were kept in separate rooms until the time Lucius had given up on the physical torture. The day he brought her in to the same room as Draco, she was thin, sickly pale and blindfolded.

Lucius kept the blindfold on Narcissa but would take it off, force her eyes open and shine bright light into them. She would thrash and scream and beg for the blindfold to be put back on. When she eventually went blind, he moved on to casting the Cruciatus Curse on her, just enough that she wouldn't end up like the Longbottoms. That went on for three months and still Draco didn't break although often times he thought it would just be easier if he did. Draco knew that he had to prevail, no matter the cost. He hadn't even wanted to be a Death Eater, but had submitted to his father's wishes. He wouldn't do that now. He had seen the destruction of war on his peers and their families and couldn't let it happen again. He knew he couldn't just submit now and turn later, they would just kill him and those he loved. So Draco prevailed through his own pain and his mothers screams.

One day, just as Lucius was raising his wand to Narcissa, there was a loud bang from above. Within minutes, a group of Aurors led by Blaise Zabini burst into the room. Lucius didn't seem surprised to see them and immediately cast _expelliarmus_ at Draco throwing him into the wall. Right before he blacked out, Draco saw his Father throw a silent spell at his Mother as Zabini's wand expelled the bright green killing curse at Lucius.

A few weeks later, Draco found himself in a hospital bed in a private wing at St. Mungo's with Blaise and Pansy staring at him expectantly. Over the next hour they explained what had happened while he was missing. He found out that he had been missing for six months and he and his father we're on the top of the list for most wanted. A team of Aurors had been tasked with finding their family.

Blaise had been assigned as leader due to his knowledge of Draco and his family. The ministry was now headed by Kingsley Shacklebolt who had installed a new program for temporary Auror training so that there would be more people to track down Death Eaters. Anybody who had previous ties with Death Eaters but had remained neutral during the war, or had worked with the Phoenix were allowed for the special program. It put them through all the months of Auror training condensed to a few weeks. The point was to learn fast, be ready, round up as many Death Eaters as possible and then move on to their own lives. Blaise had immedietly signed on, his only task being to find the Malfoys. For six weeks, they had no leads. They had been through the Manor, stripping it for any sign of where they may be.

One day, Blaise walked into his private office to find a very small House Elf standing in the center of his office, wringing her hands and tapping her foot. Blaise immediately recognized her as Addi, Draco's long time, personal Elf. When she saw him, she started yelling about how she had been trying to break down the safe-house wards so that someone could save Draco. She explained about how Lucius had been torturing Draco, trying to get him to success Voldemort. Blaise immediately jumped into action, calling a team together and notifying Shacklebolt. He wrote to the minister that all charges against Draco Malfoy were to be dropped due to the new information that he was resisting, and being tortured by his father. Almost immediately, a note arrived confirming Draco's pardon and to bring him and his mother back alive at any cost.

Addi apparated the whole four man team, one by one, into the grounds of the safe-house, which was a small, stone, shack. When she finished, she apparated to St. Mungos to arrange the arrival of those inside. They almost completely toppled the whole building when one of the over excited Aurors used a blasting curse to break down the door. Having lost the element of surprise, they quickly rushed into the small room. The only contents of the room was a small sleeping pallet and a open trap-door. The group of Aurors rushed down the steps to a damp hallway with two doors on either side. They looked into the open door on the right only to find an empty room with a soiled blanket in the corner. Blaise stepped through the small group of Aurors and threw open the door to the left. Inside the next room, Blaise's heart stopped at the sight in front of him.

The floor and walls were covered in vomit and dried blood. It took Blaise a moment to realize the bloody, cut up form that was seated on the floor near the far wall, several feet of chain shackled to the floor, was Draco. In the center of the windowless room stood Lucius Malfoy wand raised towards the small shaking form of the one proud Narcissa Malfoy. A wide smirk spread onto Lucius' face as he shot a spell at Draco, knocking him into the far wall. Blaise regained his composure and fired the Killing Curse at Lucius but not before he managed to catch Narcissia with a silent spell.

Lucius' lifeless body slumped onto the floor as the rest of the Aurors filed into the room. One of them levitated an unconscious Narcissa out to the apparition point and to St. Mungos. Blaise ordered the rest of the team to transport Lucius' body to the ministry. He walked over to where Draco now lay and made sure he was breathing. Draco was covered from head to toe with cuts, bruises, and burns most of which Blaise was sure would leave scars. Blaise unlocked the shackles and quickly levitated him out and apparated to St. Mungos.

At the hospital, both Narcissa and Draco were kept under constant supervision. Both Narcissa and Draco were severely dehydrated and malnourished which was easily fixed with a series of potions. Draco would be kept in a magically induced coma for several weeks while his concussion from hitting the wall healed. For several hours, the Healers worked on all the damage inflicted to Draco's body. Just as Blaise had expected, his skin was covered in scars. Most of them couldn't be seen unless one was looking for them, but several were long and raised and would never fade. In the room next door to Draco's, the Healers were doing all they could for Narcissa. They were able to bring back her sight since it wasn't a permanent injury. But there was a much bigger problem.

His mother had a simple, muggle, brain tumor that had been discovered a few weeks before the Battle of Hogwarts. It could have been easily removed at St. Mungo's but had an extensive recovery time. Due to the war being so volatile, they might have had to flee at any time, so nothing was done. After several months though, the tumor had grown, and they were unable to remove it. They ran every test they could to figure out why they couldn't remove the tumor. Eventually they discovered that the last spell Lucius had cast was some sort of dark magic called _I_ _nfirmus Defensionem_ preventing treatment on maladies. The curse itself leaves the body once cast, so there was no curse left over to break. It somehow forced her body to grow some sort of magic resistance at that point in her body. They only side effect they could find was she couldn't remember anything past Draco coming home for Christmas break his first year of school. Blaise and Pansy came and informed her on all that they could, excluding her husband and sons involvement in the war. They told her that they had been captured by a Death Eater and that's why they were all injured and why she was now a widow.

They left soon after recounting the events so that he could meet with the Healer and his mother. The healer reaffirmed what Blaise had said about his mother's condition and gave them the name of a hospital in Texas called Hippogriff Run. The hospital were known as the leading experts in _I_ _nfirmus Defensionem_ and even had a ward dedicated to those affected by it. Over the last 200 hundred years they had been able to extend the life of those in that ward by several years as opposed to those who received no treatment. Draco made arrangements to move his mother to America that night so that she could start treatment.

Over the next few weeks Draco transferred all their money to the Gringotts in Texas, sold the manor and all its contents. Draco tried to free Addi as reward for saving his life but she refused to leave. They eventually came to the agreement that he would pay Addi wages and she could move to America with him. He said his goodbyes to Blaise and Pansy and promised to write soon and flooed to Texas from Blaise's floo. He stayed with his mother in the hospital for three days until he found an apartment. He bought new furniture and moved into 221B of the Denver St. Apartment building.

* * *

Three years later, his mother was still in the hospital, doing well, but showing now signs off improvement. He looked over to her and saw she was still sleeping but saw that it was getting late. He patted her hand and kissed her forehead before giving his fathers portrait one last glare. He turned off the light and left the room, smiling to the nurse at the reception desk and stepped through the floo to his apartment.

Addi was waiting for him when he stepped through "what would Mr. Draco like for dinner sir?" she asked holding a large pot in both hands.

"Anything is fine Addi, pasta does sound good though if it isn't too much trouble?" Draco replied patting her on the head as she scurried off to get started. He walked over to the far side of the room summoning a grocery sack as he walked. Once there, he knelt to the ground next to a cat box fit snugly into the corner. The kitten who presided over the box, Jean, rubbed against Draco's leg as he scooped out the used litter into the bag. He tied up the bag and headed to the door to take it to the garbage chute.

Draco opened the door and walked into the hall and realized someone else was occupying the hallway. He remembered the chatty desk girl mentioning something about someone moving in across the hallway but hadn't thought much of it. After a second of looking at her, he realized who it was and the shock caused him to drop the bag of litter all over the ground. Of all people, and all places, it was this person in this place. The only thing he could do was stammer out her name.

"Granger?"


	3. Ch 3 How To Deal

Deep In the Heart

ForestOfRowan

Ch. 3 How to Deal

 **A/N Hey everybody! Thank you so much for all the feedback so far, it means a lot! Love y'all! This chapter is the reason I was very hesitant about posting this story. This chapter and the next few seemed super important and so I've been avoiding writing it at all possible costs. You may notice it is a bit longer than the previous two, sorry about that, but I just couldn't stop! I may do furture chapters like this though. Iv'e had the first chapter and a bit of the second chapter written for over a year, which is why they were posted so close together. I hope it's okay, if it isnt, please be easy on me, I am but a simple being.**

 **Disclaimer: Unfourtantly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter universe, that belongs to other people and I make no profit from this story.**

Having still not figured out which key would open her door, she first tried the green. When she tried the blue, she heard the door behind her open and someone walk into the hall. The noise startled her and she dropped the ring.

"Blast", she muttered before stiffly bending over to pick it up trying to ignore the person behind her, hoping they wouldn't realize who she was. She caught a glimpse of dark slacks and dress shoes before turning back to the door. As she tried the purple she heard something drop behind her and the scent of cat litter filled her nose before she heard a surprised, unfortunately, familiar, voice say, "Granger?" as she slowly turned around to face the last person she would ever expect to see there. Draco Malfoy.

For what felt like an eternity, the pair stood like statues, mouth's gaping at the absurdity of the situation. The last time she had seen or heard anything about him was when all the newspapers were reporting what had happened when he went missing after the Battle. _He must have brought his mother here for treatment at Sitting Hippogriff_ she thought staring at the blond man. Eventually Malfoy cleared his throat and noticed the key ring in her hand.

"Black," he muttered gesturing towards the door behind her.

"What's black?" she asked, still in shock.

"The key to get into your room, it's the black one. That's why the keyhole is black. I thought you were supposed to be intelligent Granger."

She quickly turned around, not wanting him to see how embarrassed that comment had made her. She unlocked the door with the black key letting it slide open to her new home. As she walked in, she caught a waft of something from the hallway. Malfoy was still standing in his doorway watching her, a spilled bag of cat litter spilled on the floor around him.

"Erm Malfoy, I think you dropped something. You may want to clean it up before I report you to management for not being a courteous neighbor," she said as seriously as she could.

As she shut the door, she heard him jump back and mutter a frustrated _shit, scourgify._ She threw her key ring across the room, and sat on the floor with a huff. _I'm supposed to be here for a new start, to get away from everything. Of course this would happen to me, I travel to the least likely place on earth and this bastard is here. Looks like I will be discovered after all._ She thought about what to do for a moment. _Ill just ignore him, maybe if I don't tempt him, he won't feel the inclination to ruin my life._ She nodded at her own plan before standing up and taking her suitcases out of her pocket.

She returned them to regular size before dragging one into the bedroom off to the left and into the annexed bathroom. Of the other three, one went into the small kitchen, dining area on the right. The other two stayed in the living room. Hermione walked back into the kitchen and unzipped the large, Tardis like, suitcase. She spent the next hour pulling out and organizing pots, pans, shrunken chairs and table, cleaning supplies and appliance.

Moving onto the living room, she unpacked all her furniture from the first suitcase. A sofa, pillows, blankets, rugs TV, coffee table and several bookcases were put in their rightful places and regrown to their proper size. The second case housed all of her pictures, knick-knacks, and copious amounts of books. She plopped down on the couch for a quick break. "When did I get so used to all of this unpacking shit?" She asked the pillow next to her. Normally, talking to an inanimate object in such a fashion would be considered concerning, but it had become a 'welcome to your new home' tradition to her. She thought back to Malfoy, _I bet he is sitting in his layer cackling about his plan to reveal me right now._ The thought of him as a classic Disney Villain conspiring against the princess brought forth an amused snort from her.

After catching her breath, she went into the bedroom, intent on unpacking everything in time to run out and grab a late dinner. She opened the bag, first taking out all of her toiletries and towels, levitating them to their proper place in the bathroom. In order to reach everything else in the bag, she had to struggle for several minutes to get the bed and its frame out. She knew she should have shrunk it smaller than a kid bed but had been in too much of a rush to leave to care. Finally with a grunt and groan, it popped out screeching across the floor. Bed now in place, she unpacked all of her clothes into the closet and made her bed.

Feeling grimy after the long day, she grabbed a new pair of underwear and headed for the shower. As she showered, she tried to keep her mind off of what everyone back home was doing. Harry and Ginny were probably just now laying down for bed. They had probably been reading stories to James for hours trying to get him to lay down to sleep. Her parents were probably still up, reading by the fire place with big mugs of tea. She stepped out of the warm shower into the damp room.

As she dried off, Hermione tried to keep her mind from wandering to thoughts of Ron. Undoubtedly it always did when she was brushing out her hair. He used to come into the bathroom and try to run his fingers through it when she was done brushing it. He was probably with some woman at a bar both guzzling down as much firewhiskey as was manageable. They were probably preparing to head back to one of there places and have a long night and short morning together. Maybe he was panicking, having shown up to her last apartment and finding she wasn't there. She hoped it was the first, that way he wouldn't know to start looking for her. Sighing, Hermione hung up her towel and picked up her clothes to put them in the hamper.

As she lifted the clothes to throw them in, she smelled the left over vomit from the airport. _Crap, if I don't wash these soon, the smell will never properly come out._ Rapidly throwing on her bra and undies, she ran with the pants to her front door, grabbed the shoes she left there and went into the kitchen. Throwing the items into the sink, she turned on the hot water and squirted some dish soap on them and started scrubbing. After repeating the process of rinse and scrub several times, the smell was only getting worse. Casting a quick drying spell on the clothes she walked, head down, back into her room.

She donned a big t-shirt and sweatpants and started pacing around her room trying to figure out what to do. She could just throw the pants and shoes out, but they were her 'lazy day' attire and one can't just replace those sorts of things. Of course, she could go out and try and find a launderette, but it could be too late by the time she found one. Groaning, she flopped backwards onto the bed and covered her face with her hands. There was one option she really didn't want to have to consider. Unforgettably it was the most viable option besides just throwing out the articles. _I'll just throw them out, its no big deal. New start, new lazy day clothes._

Hermione got up off the bed, picked up the clothes and went with her keys to the hallway. At eye level next to the elevator was a metal chute door with a blue key hole. Tucking the clothes under her arm, she fumbled briefly with the key ring separating the blue from the rest. Hermione unlocked the chute and pulled it open. Giving her clothes one, last, parting look, she raised them, poised to go down the chute. Just as she was about to drop them, she remembered all the lay ins she had with James and Ginny in those clothes. She remembered the food fight she had with Harry when she made fun of him for trying to cook dinner for Ginny, but had to call Hermione because he had no clue what he was doing. _I can not believe I'm getting so sentimental over a pair of trousers and shoes, fuck it all, I really don't want to ask for his help,_ she thought pulling back the clothes and shutting the door. She took a deep breath and turned around. Quickly, and without thinking too much on it, she walked over to 221B and knocked on the door.

A confused looking Malfoy opened the door and raised an eyebrow at her. She forced a smile onto her face, transforming his look of confusion into one of alarm.

"Sorry to bother you, but do you have a washer that I might be able to use?" She forced herself to ask through gritted teeth. Smirking, he crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.

"Soiled yourself already Granger?" he asked in a monotone voice. Just as she was about to yell back a retort, a very small house elf came up behind Malfoy and swatted him on the leg. He immedietly stood up straight and looked towards her grumpily. She was wearing a big, fluffy wedding dress that looked like it came off a teddy bear. Even more odd than that though, was the small, tabby kitten sleeping on her head.

"What was that for Addi" Malfoy asked incredulously?

"For speaking unkindly to a lady, for bad posture, and because Addi felt like it" the elf said and then looked towards Hermione.

"Please excuse master Draco, Miss..."she trialed off looking at Hermione expectantly.

"Her name is Hermione Granger" Malfoy filled in gruffly.

Addi's 'eye-brows' quirked in recognition and she smiled before continuing, "sometimes Mister Draco forgets how to be a good-boy Miss Granger," she said wagging a long finger at the man making his head drop and his face flush. She continued, "now Draco, you will apologize to Miss Granger and show her to the washer. Jean and I will go finish making dinner, which you will invite her to." She nodded her blue eyes serious, and walked off, the kitten still asleep between her ears.

Draco cleared his throat and shuffled his feet muttering a yes ma'am before looking up at Hermione. "I'm sorry that I accused you of soiling yourself, won't you please come in. I'll show you to the washer. Also, Addi and I would like it if you would stay for dinner, I believe she is making a pasta of some sort" He never broke eye contact with her and finished by moving to the side and flourishing his arm to indicate the inside of his apartment. Hermione laughed nervously, completely confused by the whole situation. Her old rival being bossed around by a doll sized, wedding and cat wearing elf who seemed to want her to stay for pasta. He sighed and grimaced out a 'please' and indicated inside again. Gathering up her 'Gryffindor courage', she brushed past him and into his apartment.

Hermione wasn't quite sure she expected the blond mans living room to look like. Perhaps thick curtains not allowing any light instead of the large windows letting the late-day sunlight. Maybe she had envisioned the whole room to look like the potions class-room. Dark, cold stone with shelves full of menacing jars and bottles. In reality though, the room was bright, warm and cozy. The old wooden floor was covered with a thick, green rug placed under a large, faded, plush couch covered in pillows and antique coffee table. There were several comfortable looking leather recliners positioned on either side of the couch pointed towards the flat screen mounted above the mantle. The fire was burning steadily in the river rock fire place with a plush cat bed on the hearth. The walls were painted a dull tan but were covered with pictures of beautiful landscapes and forests. There were three doors, two on he right, and one to the left. Between one of the doors and the wall sat a pink cat box with 'JEAN' written in purple glitter on the side.

"Not what you were expecting it to look like Granger" Malfoy asked from behind her, making her jump. She whipped around to face him and saw he was smirking at her.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. I expected it to be in better taste" she retorted smirking as his face fell. He glared at her for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and nodded towards the door first door on the right.

"The washer and drier are in there, I trust you know how to use them, we'll all be in the kitchen when you're done" he said before walking past her into the door next to the one he had indicated. She caught a whiff of garlic bread and her stomach grumbled. Anxious to be finished and full, she rushed through the door he had indicated. The room was with white walls and tile and just big enough to hold the washer and drier. There was a small door off to the side with the name Addi written on it in the same purple glitter as the litter box. Curious, Hermione opened the door and looked into the Addi sized room. There was a dresser, desk, couch, and bed all pink and glittery. Impressed with the way Malfoy treated his elf, Hermione shut her door.

Finally opening the washer door, she threw in her trousers and shoes and a detergent pod from the container on top of the machine. She pressed the 'normal load' button and listened for a minute as her clothes tumbled in the machine. _Now all I have to do is eat dinner and leave. Dinner smelled good, so that's a plus. It won't be too bad, just eat, and leave._ Hermione turned off the light and left the room, following the smell of food into the room Malfoy had escaped into earlier.

She walked into a kitchen with stone floors and counters, dark paneled walls and muggle appliances. Annexed was a small room with a square table and chairs that matched the walls. Malfoy and Addi were already sitting at the table, Addi was in a pink booster seat facing the door, with Draco to her left. On the floor under Addi sat the small kitten, Jean. They all looked up when she entered Addi smiled at her and pointed to the chair on her right. Malfoy looked uncomfortable and didn't look up as Hermione sat down facing him.

"Let's eat," Addi exclaimed once Hermione got settled. The elf clapped her small hands together and with a pink puff of smoke, plates appeared in front of each of them. Each was piled high with a mound of spaghetti with just enough room on the side for a small salad and a large piece of garlic bread. Hermione's eyes bulged and her mouth dropped at the amount of food on her plate. She looked up at Malfoy and started giggling when she saw that he had the exact same expression on his face. They made eye contact over their spaghetti mounds and they dissolved into laughs soon stopping remembering they were in one another's presence.

"Addi, what is all of this?" Malfoy asked trying not to not laugh.

"The two of you are so skinny, so I made sure you would have plenty to eat" Addi said grinning, "now, Mister Draco, why don't you get some wine for the two of you to drink, I forgot to grab it." It seemed very unlikely that she forgot anything, but Draco got up and went to the small door by the fridge and dissapeared into what looked like a wine-celler. _You really can expand these apartments into what ever you need._ When they could hear Malfoy coming back up the stairs, Addi vanished her plate, got down and turned to Hermione.

"Make sure he eats all of his food, he spends all his time worrying about his mother, never about himself. Don't tell him I said that" Addi whispered to her. Before Hermione could say anything, Addi had put the kitten on her head and yelled a goodnight to the reappeared Draco and scurried out of the kitchen. He sat the bottle on the table and summoned two glasses, when they arrived, he poured a generous amount of red wine into each of their glasses.

"Sorry about all of this, I think she is trying to play a match-maker of sorts" They both laughed uncomfortably for a second before Hermione cleared her throat.

"Obviously she cares about you though. I should get on to you for having an elf, but you seem to treat her well and care about her, so I forgive you," she said before taking a sip of the wine. It was good, she had never had wine before so she didn't know what to compare it by. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Didn't know I needed your forgiveness for having a house elf but, I'll take it," he said smirking at her, "I didn't really even want a house elf, but she insisted on staying with me, I'm glad she did," he smiled briefly before picking up his fork, "lets dig in." They ate in silence, both finishing most of their plates and wine within fifteen minutes. He picked up their empty dishes and went with them over to the sink. She followed and leaned against the counter while he did the dishes.

"What, no magic?" She asked not believing her eyes.

"I actually like doing things the Muggle way. Unlike in London, Dallas does a lot of things the muggle way. I guess it was just easier for me to acclimate this way. Nurses at the hospital had a great time teaching me how to use the TV in the lobby."

"Malfoy, feel free not to answer, but how is your mother doing? Harry always asks about where or how I think she is." He looked at her questioningly.

"Why does he care about how my mother is fairing?"

"Because of what she did for him during the Battle, she saved his life." He stopped what he was doing and turned to her.

"Because of her illness, my mother doesn't remember anything past my first year at Hogwarts. We spent awhile recounting all that she missed. Left out the part about our involvement in the war and what happened afterwards though. She isn't really doing much better, luckily she isn't doing any worse. They are still trying to find a way to remove the magic barrier on the tumor. I try and stay with her as much as I can, but she sleeps a lot "

"Oh, I'm so sorry Malfoy."

"It's alright," he said returning to the dishes, "would you dry these Granger, once their dry, they know where to go." She grabbed a towel from beside the sink and they worked silently together on the dishes for a few minutes. Malfoy went back to the table and grabbed the bottle and the glasses.

"Follow me," he said walking back into the living room. She rolled her eyes at the fact that he thought he could boss her around. With nothing better to do in the kitchen, she followed him anyway. He was sitting on the far side of the couch and had already refilled both of their glasses.

"I'll be right back," he said, handing her a glass of wine as she sat down, and walked into what she assumed was his bedroom. The sun had gone down and they were too far up for any street lights to shine through the windows, the only light was coming from the fire. He came back into the room, he had changed out of his formal suit into a cotton t-shirt and a pair of flannel PJ bottoms. He grabbed his glass and sat back down on the couch.

"Cheers" he said raising his glass to her, she did the same and they both downed the contents.

"So tell me Granger," he said, enchanting their glasses to automatically refill, "what is it that my mother did for Harry Potter?" She spent the next few minutes telling him about how she lied to Voldemort to save Harry's life for information on her son.

"So that's why she wasn't listed with us as most wanted," he thought out loud before taking another huge swig of his wine. Over the next few hours, they talked about Dallas, and why she needed to wash her pants. He found out that she was to start working at a bookstore across the street. She told him she had always wanted to be a healer, but wouldn't tell him why she hadn't. He didn't ask why she moved to Texas, for which she was thankful for.

She learned that Addi considered the kitten Jean to be her best friend and went everywhere together. Malfoy told her about how six months prior, he bought her from an old lady that he passed on the street one day. The lady's cat had kittens but she couldn't afford to keep them and had been selling them to random people who passed on the street. Jean, as the lady had named her, had been the runt of the litter and no one had bought her. Seeing how desperate the woman was for money, and how much the kitten needed help, he gave the woman 400 U.S Muggle dollars, he didn't really need them himself, and took Jean home. Together, he and Addi fed the small kitten and kept her warm till she could do things on her own. They talked until the bottle of wine was empty and they were both only a little bit tipsy. Addi came into the room interrupting their conversation about how ridiculous the TriWizard Tournament had been.

"Miss Granger, your clothes are done washing and drying now. I took the liberty of putting them away in your apartment for you, I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, thank you Addi, I don't mind at all. I should actually go back now, its been a long day. Thank you so much for dinner Addi, it was amazing." The small elf came over and hugged her leg, "please come again soon Miss Granger" she squeaked before going back to her room.

"I'll walk you out," said Malfoy getting up from the couch and vanishing the bottle and glasses. He stepped around to the door and opened it for her. She walked out into the hallway but he grabbed her arm lightly and turned her around so they were standing only a short distance apart facing each other.

"Wait, Granger, I may not need your forgiveness for having a house elf Granger, but I do need it for something else."

"Um...alright" she replied, bracing herself for him to say that he had reported to the Daily Profit or Which Weekly that she was in Dallas. They both took a deep breath and he closed his eyes before continuing.

"First off, I want to apologize for not helping you when you were being attacked by my Aunt. I was too scared of what she would do to me if I tried to stop her." She gripped her left arm which had bore the scared word 'Mudblood' ever since that night. She opened her mouth to ask why he was sorry but he stopped her.

"Please, let me finish," he opened his grey eyes, looking down at her intently.

"Secondly, I am sorry for the way I treated you at school Granger. True, I never liked you, but it gave me no right to say and do the things that I did." He finished and took a deep breath. She was so surprised by what he said she could only splutter out, "w-why, and why now?" He thought about it for a moment.

"I've been sorry since the day you were at the Manor, I realized that I only hated you and your friends because I was told to" he shifted uncomfortably, "I'm assuming you know what happened after the Battle and that you've figured what I'm doing here so you know I haven't had much time to write a lame apology and send that. Now that you're here, and we're now neighbors, I might as well try and smooth things over. Actually, I'd like to consider you a friend " She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but he looked so vulnerable in his PJ's and he seemed to be truly sincere.

"I'll forgive you, and be your friend on three conditions Malfoy. First, you will let me use your washer and come over for dinner again soon. Secondly that you will call me Hermione, no more Granger and lastly if you forgive me as well," she said and then tried not to laugh at the utter confusion on his face.

"You can come over when ever, alright Hermione, and what on earth does Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes have to be sorry for" he asked slowly.

" Thank you. I wasn't always so nice to you either Malfoy, I broke your nose once remember? So I'm sorry for that." He chuckled and grabbed his nose.

"How could I forget that Granger, I had to heal it myself, I was too ashamed to tell anyone about it. I even made Crabb and Goyle swear they would never tell anyone. Not like they hadn't already forgotten it by the next week anyway." They smiled at each other for a second and he continued softly.

"I felt different about you after that, you know? No one has ever had the guts to outright hit a Malfoy before, you gained a lot of respect from me" he reached out and tenderly picked up one of her soft curls, absentmindedly he continued "I didn't hate you anymore, I still hated your friends, but not you. I even had a huge crush on you for...a-awhile...shit" He dropped her hair and hid his face in his hands "shit...shit...shit forget I said that." She stared at him for a moment before laughing, every time she would look at him, she would laugh even harder. It was the first time she had laughed in this way in ages and she couldn't stop.

Finally she caught her breath, "that must be why Addi was so intent on leaving us alone then." He nodded awkwardly, embarrassed that he had let that slip, must've been all the wine he had drunk.

"Mind telling me why that was so funny Gr-Hermione" he asked crossing his arms.

"You just surprised me is all. I actually think it's sweet, ittle-bitty-Draco had a crush," she stuck her tongue out at him but it quickly turned into a large yawn. He laughed both at what she had said, and how silly the yawn had looked.

"I think its time for ittle-bitty-Hermione to go to bed. Does she need to be tucked in," he asked jokingly. She slapped his arm and pulled out her keys and opened her door.

"Goodnight Draco, thank you for everything."

"Goodnight Hermione, I'm the one who should be thanking you," he said opening his own door. They gave each other one last wave and closed their doors.


	4. Ch 4 Et Inventionem Veritatis

Deep In the Heart

ForestOfRowan

Chapter 4 Et Inventionem Veritatis

 **A/N Wow guys! Thank you SO MUCH for all the support this story had received thus far! Y'all are seriously the best! I almost wasn't going to post a chapter for, who knows how long. I had no ideas for how to progress this story. Since this chapter has been posted after all, you have three people to thank. Rou, Emily and Addi (not the house elf, but the one she is named after her) helped me out so much. I had the base idea but they helped me turn it into a chapter and it was all uphill from there. I love y'all and thank you so much. There will not be a new chapter posted this weekend, sorry, I am going home for the weekend and wont have time to start writing. EDITED**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter or its world. Nor do I own the lyrics to Deep In the Heart of Texas. Some of the locations in Dallas are real though! If you're ever in Deep Ellum, I highly suggest going to these places (please don't go by yourself though, Deep Ellum can be dangerous)**

* * *

The next morning Hermione woke up, face down in her bed. Forgoing the option of pajamas, she had simply flopped right onto the covers and passed out. She sat up suddenly in bed having remembered the events from the night before. _Did I seriously agree to be friends with Draco Malfoy...did I really pass off the fact he used to like me as if it was no big deal? How drunk was I...How drunk was he? Oh my gosh, do I really want to be friends with Malfoy? He was probably only nice to me because Addi would have gotten onto him again. I have to avoid him as long as possible. If he asks about it, I'll just tell him I didn't mean what I said, and that he probably didn't either._ She pushed back her hair and rested her face in her hands trying to figure out what was going on.

Across the hall, Draco lay in bed, covering his face with his hands. _What the fuck is wrong with me? Why did I tell her that, she didn't need to know I had a crush on her? I can't believe I said all of that, I'm such a twat. Maybe if I just avoid and ignore her, she will forget I said it, and we can go on like it never happened._ Deciding that would have to be his course of action, he got out of bed and started to get ready for work. Once showered and dressed, he walked into the kitchen where Addi had already laid out his breakfast. They ate in silence, enjoying the sunlight streaming in through the window. When they finished, Addi spelled the dishes to fly into the sink and start washing themselves.

"Would you please take out the trash before leaving for work?" She asked sweetly, but giving a look that implied he didn't really have a choice in the matter before leaving the room. The bag flew out of the bin and into his hands. He sighed and carried the bag through the apartment and to the trash chute. Pulling out his key ring, he opened the chute with the blue key and threw the bag in. He listened to it tumble down the long chute knowing it would take several minutes for it to actually hit the bottom. Brushing off his hands, he turned around to walk back to his apartment.

At that very moment, Hermione swung open her front door, smacking Draco in the face.

"What in Merlin's name are you fucking doing Granger?" Draco yelled, staggering back and holding his nose. She slammed her door shut and ran over to him.

"I am so sorry, I didn't realize that the door would be so light. I just kicked it as a joke and it swung open. I didn't even know that it opened both ways, and I didn't know you would be behind it. I am so sorry Malfoy. Take your hand off your face, I need to see if I hurt you," he rolled his eyes and lowered his hand. She stared at him intently for a second and nodded, "looks fine, thank god I didn't actually hurt you. I was going downstairs to ask for the name of a grocery store so I could know where to floo to. I don't know where anything is an-" he cut her off.

"Would you be quiet Granger, you don't need to write me a novel about _why_ you tried to break my nose again. Just try and keep your distance from me alright?" He snapped at her before turning around huffily to his apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"Guess that takes care of that problem then." She muttered staring at his door. She shrugged and turned to the elevator riding it all the way down to the lobby. As she waited, she tried not to laugh at what she had just done. _Sure, I wanted an excuse to avoid him, but why this. O_ _f course one of the things I apologized for last night, I went ahead and did again anyway. As comical as that was, he didn't exactly deserve it. I guess I'll never know if he truly meant his apology last night. Oh well, I guess if I am going to avoid him, I don't need to worry about that anyway._ The elevator finally stopped and she stepped into the lobby

"Mornin' Ms. Granger, you all settled I hope? What can I help you with this mornin?" Andi asked with a smile putting down her magazine.

"Good morning Andi, I'm settling in fine thank you. I was just wondering where there might be a place for groceries around here? I have no idea what or where anything around here is yet."

"There should have been a list of important places on your mantel, was it not? I am so sorry." Andi looked slightly distressed and Hermione wondered if the placement of the list was a part of her job.

"I didn't even think to check the mantel. I'm sure the list is there and I didn't notice it" Hermione smiled at the girl and she relaxed a bit.

"Oh alright then, well, the Denver Street Grocer is right across the street. Please let me know if that list isn't there. I thought I had put one up there but sometimes I get distracted. So," Andi blushed, "have you met your neighbor yet?" The young girl smiled expectantly at Hermione.

"Oh, I've run into him a couple times so far," Hermione snickered.

"Isn't he just the most handsome man you've ever met?" Andi said sighing dreamily and resting her chin on her palms.

"Certainly," Hermione said, still laughing at her own joke. Realizing what she said said she quickly said a goodbye and hustled out the lobby doors. She rested on a pillar outside the doors. _Where the fuck did that come from Hermione? 'Certainly', did you really say that?_ She thought about it a moment, _okay, so he is handsome, he has been since third year, but not the most handsome I've ever seen. And what does it matter if you think he is attractive, you don't have to like him! He is only physically attractive, anyone would be able to notice that._ She shook her head and walked across the street to the Denver Street Grocer.

From the outside, it looked like every other building on the street. A regular building that one would find in the Wizarding world, old brick and wood with dusty display windows and a creaky sign hanging above the creaky door. But, what was inside was not what she was expecting at all. The inside looked like a normal muggle grocery store. The walls were a simple beige paint and the floors were cold white linoleum all being lit from florescent tube light boxes. Even all the wares were displayed on metal shelves. The difference was that the signs marking each section were floating in midair and said things like 'potion supplies' and 'simple healing'. People were walking around the store with their carts following them and objects just flying into them. It must have been obvious she didn't know what she was doing because an old lady approached her.

"You tap the cart with your wand deary, no words, it'll just follow you till you pay for your things." The woman gabbed loudly. Hermione leaned in slightly, hoping it would help her understand what the lady was saying through her odd accent. The lady, not noticing continued chatting quickly.

"To get what you want, just say what you need at the end of each aisle. Sometimes different brands will fight to be chosen, but there is usually only one brand for each item, so that doesn't happen too often. Try and be specific too. You just gotta be firm with them missy, or just go pick them up yourself if you don't want to bother with all of that." The old lady turned and skipped away her bright purple and green robes flapping after her. Her cart full of cat litter following weakly behind her, trying to catch up under all the weight.

Hermione tapped a cart and walked towards 'magical cleaning', the cart slowly squeaking after her. The only 'fight' she encountered was with her last items. She had simply whispered 'tampons' in the hygiene isle. There were several people walking by and she didn't exactly want to advertise that she was buying tampons. Having not been specific enough though, several different sizes and types of tampons, from several different brands, came flying towards her. They formed a wall in front of her, pushing closer and closer to her until she reached out and grabbed the ones she needed. By that point, all eyes were on her. Embarrassed she walked head up, face red, and still holding the tampons in her arms.

She went to the counter and payed for all of her items, her cart returning to where it came from. Hermione transported her bags back to her room, walked outside and turned left towards the Omnes Book Shop.

She was supposed to start work there in two weeks, but figured she could ask about starting early. When she opened the door, a light _ding_ rang out through the shop. A muffled ' _hold on'_ came from the back beyond shelves of books. She looked around noticing that the inside reflected the outside. Dark, old, warm wooden floors covered in plush, faded rugs, reading cushions and mountains of tilting books. She couldn't even see what the walls looked like behind the crammed bookcases. Hermione was relieved to see so much that reminded her of the Wizarding World back home. She maneuvered her way through the labyrinth of leather, running her fingers along the worn spines. Walking pass a public floo, she reached a long, book covered counter and walked around to the open door behind it.

"Mr. Briar?" she called through the door into the room beyond, "it's Hermione Granger, sorry to bother you sir." She heard someone yelp and, what she assumed was, a pile of books fall to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Briar, I didn't mean to startle you, I can come back later." She turned to walk away but he called out from the room.

"Oh, don't apologize Ms. Granger, it's my fault. I heard the bell ring but was focused on what I was reading, and forgot. Please come in." Hermione stepped over a pile of books and into the room. Her gaze quickly fell over the small room and the plush red furniture and piles of books that were stuffed inside.

Finally her eyes fell to the man re-stacking the books at the foot of his armchair by the fire. She had assumed that Mr. Briar would be a small, gray, old man. She had been told that he had retired from his life as an Auror to open a book shop a few years prior.

In reality, he was about her age, and stood at least a foot and a half taller. He was very muscular and his long dark hair was pulled into a bun on the top of his head. When he was finished, he sat up and smiled at her, gesturing to the chair across from him. His face was very attractive, with light blue eyes and tanned skin. Finally she sat down across from him.

"Mr. Briar, I'm really sorry I startled you" she said, as they both settled back into their chairs.

"Don't worry about it, it was my fault for being so absent minded. Also, please call me Hawthorn Ms. Granger. The only person who gets called Mr. Briar is my husband, and that's by his kindergarten students," he smiled at her again, "so, what brings you here today Ms. Granger?" She smiled at him, liking how straight forward he was.

"Please, I only feel comfortable calling you Hawthorn if you call me Hermione. I'm here because I was wondering if I could start work tomorrow?"

"Well, I don't see why not, but are you sure? You just moved here and must have things to do still. Asher and I are going on a vacation and I'm closing the shop for next week. You sure you don't just want to start after that?"

"I would love to start this week. I honestly don't have anything to do till then, I've already finished everything I need to. Hopefully I'll find something to do while you are gone though."

"Well aren't you little-miss-efficient," he said chuckling, "how about this, on Friday night, feel free to take any books home you want for the week."

"You already know me so well Hawthorn, thank you so much. I'll get out of your hair then, see you tomorrow." They stood up and shook hands and Hawthorn pulled her into a big bear hug. He squeezed her and led her to the front.

"See you at 9 a.m Hermione. I'll open up the back room floo for you to use." He said. She smiled and nodded before heading back to her apartment.

* * *

Over the next 4 days, she went through the floo at 9 a.m to find Hawthorn there waiting with coffee and a pastry of some sort. She spent the 9 hours working the happiest she had been in awhile. All day was spent reading or talking with Hawthorn. The store didn't get much business which Hawthorn attributed to it being summer and students were avoiding thinking about school.

On Friday, Hermione was out in the front stacking books with her back to the door. She turned around to find a man standing close behind her. She screamed and jumped back, knocking over the books she had stacked. The man fell to the ground laughing. Hawthorn ran out of the back, knocking over more books, to see what was wrong. When he saw what was going on, he simply rolled his eyes.

"T-t-that was s-s-s-so terrific." The man gasped, gripping his sides.

"Hermione, I'd like for you to meet my husband Asher who has a tendency to be an asshole. I should have mentioned he was coming to pick me up so we can leave for the week." Hawthorn said, helping Asher up off the ground as he wiped tears from his eyes. He pulled Hawthorn into a tight hug and jumped up to kiss Hawthorn's cheek. Ashe was about Hermione's height and age and probably weighed about the same. He was slight in stature but seemed lean. Sandy blond hair and bright green eyes that shone brightly from his small, mischievous face.

"I'm really sorry Hermione, you were just so distracted by what you were doing, you didn't notice me come in. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity." Asher said stepping forward and shaking her hand.

"You're lucky I didn't hex the hell out of you." She said, her heart finally slowing down.

"You think you could, huh?" He teased.

"I fought in the war, I most certainly could." She said back crossing her arms across her chest.

"I thought I knew your name from somewhere," he said sounding impressed, "well, now I know not to mess with you."

"Come on, we need to go." Hawthorn said putting his hand on Asher's back.

"It was nice meeting you Hermione." Asher said walking towards the back.

"Bye Hermione, have a nice week." Hawthorn said, locking the front door and giving her a hug before following his husband back. Hermione waited till the floo whooshed and they were gone. Making sure Asher wasn't waiting behind her anymore. She went through the shop and picked up a few books about healing she thought could be interesting. When she had all she needed, she walked drearily through the floo to her apartment.

She was going to miss having something to do for the next week. Even though she had her books, it may not be a good enough distraction. She was starting to really enjoy her new job and the safety and stability of her new home. That didn't stop her from greatly missing her friends and family. She couldn't stop herself from thinking on why she was where she was. She walked through the floo and deposited her books on the coffee table. She saw that there was mail already there waiting for her.

Since she had left, Ginny had been sending Hermione the prints of the Daily Profit and small letters. She picked up the newest edition and studied the headline article with horror. ' _Dream Pair Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger Split?'_ Quickly she read the article. There was a statement from Ron's PR stating that they had split, wanting different things in life and were no longer living together. It was very formal and didn't give much information but it made her feel queasy. She tore open the letter from Ginny.

 _Hermione, I know you're freaking out, but please don't. He only just found out you were gone and although he freaked out at first, he seems to have calmed down. He told Mum that he didn't know where you were anymore and decided that he would attempt to move on. She now knows all that has been going on, Harry and I filled her in on what she needed to know. I haven't seen or talked to him yet but Mum said he seemed perfectly fine when he came to her. She thinks that maybe the statement was him trying to tell you that? I really don't think so and neither does Harry. You should be fine for now though. I'll keep you updated if I find out anything._

 _Love you, Ginny, Harry and James_

Hermione relaxed a little at Ginny's words. She knew Ron better than anyone and if she seemed to think she would be okay for a little while, Hermione believed her. She put the letter on the table before going into her room and changing into some PJs. She returned to the living room and sat on the couch, pulling a book into her lap and started reading.

* * *

In 221 B, Draco had just stepped in from work, dusting the floo powder from his dress slacks. He looked up to see Addi standing on the coffee table, arms crossed, tapping her foot. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What did I do," he asked cautiously. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh no, Mister Draco _did not do_ anything, that is the problem," She huffed when he had nothing to say, "you were very rude to Miss Granger the other day after she hit you with the door, but she apologized and you were rude." He opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off.

"No Mister Draco, I am sorry but that is inexcusable. She is new here, she probably sits alone all day, you remember how that was? So, now you're going to go apologize, and take her out and show her the city."

"Addi, I'm not going to do that, it's better if she and I just keep away from each other."

"Don't make me call Miss Pansy and have him speak strongly to you like I did when you first moved here."

"Fine, oh my gosh Addi, why do I let you do this to me?" The last person he wanted involved in this was Pansy, she would either leave him very embarrassed, or would leave Hermione sobbing, possibly even both. He stomped off to his room to change out of his work clothes. He put on a pair of dark jeans, and a loose t-shirt. He stuffed his wallet, keys and wand in his pocket, ignoring Addi's smirk as he stomped across the hall to Hermione's door.

Just as Hermione was about to start the second chapter of her tome, there was a knock at the door. She got up and walked over to the door. She briefly considered the idea that it was Ron but as she checked the peephole, saw white instead of red hair.

"Yes Malfoy?" she asked as she opened the door. He looked a little annoyed but took a deep breath and smiled at her.

"I thought we were using first names Hermione?" She glared at him.

"If I recall correctly, you were the one who called me 'Granger' and then told me to stay away from you last we spoke, Malfoy."

"Hey, you had just hit me with a door, you can't blame me! I'm sorry for what I said after but, really?" She stared at him intently for a moment.

"Fine, whatever, what do you want anyway Draco?" He smiled at her again.

"I was wondering if you would join me for some dinner? You don't know this city very well, I figured I could help show you around." She eyed him suspiciously.

"Addi is making you do this, isn't she?" He blushed and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't. I'd actually very much enjoy for you to join me for a night out." He dipped into a graceful bow noting her red face when he rose again.

"Fine, but I'll need to change first." _Good thing I left my makeup on_ she thought as she walked back into her apartment, gesturing for him to come in. She walked into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. While she was changing, Draco took the opportunity to look around her living room. It was the same size as his but seemed smaller due to the massive amounts of books everywhere. She hadn't yet taken the time to change the walls or floor.

The only decorations in the room were several pictures on the mantel. On the right were several muggle pictures of her as a child with who he assumed were her parents. He noticed that she looked exactly like her mother, but had her fathers wild hair. In the middle were pictures with her and the Potters. One looked to have been taken right before she moved. She was smiling tightly while being hugged between Ginny and Harry. Then a mini-Potter ran to her and jumped into her lap, making her break into a huge smile. Right before the picture looped, she seemed to break into a sob. His heart softened a little to the beautiful woman in the picture. He didn't realize all the she had left behind. The last two one on the left was two framed mug shots of herself and Potter from before the War. As he leaned to get a better look at them, she spoke from behind him making him jump around to face her. She had changed into dark denim shorts and a Gryffindor t-shirt. She looked very nice, especially with the fond look in her eye as she looked at the pictures.

"Harry gave these to me as a present a few Christmases ago as a joke. He always said we were the most attractive outlaws there were,"she smiled warmly at the memory.

"He wasn't wrong about you, but I think maybe you should buy him a new mirror for Christmas this year," he joked and then before she had a chance to reply, held out his arm, "hold onto me, we'll use the floo." She did and they walked towards the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of powder and as they stepped through he yelled 'Serious Pizza Deep Ellum'. They stepped through into a small floo room that was filled with the smell of bread and garlic and tomato sauce. They walked out of the room and she started walking towards the right, where there were massive amounts of people with massive pizzas in a tiny room. He stopped her though and turned her to the left.

"Where are we going Draco? The food is that way, this isn't some sort of trap is it?" She asked trying to stop him from leading her farther away from witnesses.

"Would you calm down? This isn't a trap Hermione. That is only the muggle part of the restaurant and as you can tell, its a little crowded." She let him lead her through a door at the end of the hall. The room was an exact replica of the other one. Giant pizza ovens behind a long counter with a foot of space between the counter and the tables. Unlike the room down the hall, this one had only a few people in it and the cooks were using their wands to float ingredients and pizzas all over the room.

"Do you want me to just order for the both of us?" He asked noticing that she looked overwhelmed by the large amounts on the menu. She nodded and went to go sit at a table. He walked up to the guy at the counter.

"Hello sir, what can I get for you today?" He asked bored.

"Can I get two 'HUGE' slices of the veggie 2.0 and a bottle of Wizarding Wine." He said pulling out his wallet.

"Nice accent man, and hot girlfriend, that'll be 3 Galleons."

Draco traded him the money for the wine, muttered _not my girlfriend but thanks_ and walked over to Hermione and sat across from her.

"Where are we?" She asked him as he poured them each a glass of the wine.

"We're eating at Serious Pizza which is right down the street from the Prophet Bar, where the entrance to Wizarding Dallas is." They both started looking around, not sure what to say next.

"How did you find out about this place?" Hermione eventually asked.

"When I first moved here, I only went to work and the hospital, never really left my apartment outside of that. Finally, Addi eventually called Pansy and together they forced me out of the apartment. This is the first place we went, but by accident we went to the muggle half. We were so lost, finally someone noticed how out of place we were and showed us this half of the place. For the next year after that, Pansy would come every weekend and we would explore the city."

"Interesting. So...you mentioned work, and don't take offense to this but, I can't see you working anywhere?"

With that, Draco started telling her about how Minister Shacklebolt helped him get training, and a job, as a lawyer. Draco spent the time up till their pizza came, talking about how he had spent the last 3 years putting away small domestic criminals. He went on and on about how much he loved his job, and he loved being able to give people justice.

They ate in silence, but the whole time her mind was spinning. _I don't know what changed him, but he has changed a lot. But what if he hasn't really. Sure, he was an ass to us in school, but he wasn't one to everyone. Maybe he was just Mr. Tough-Guy because he could hide behind his Father._ As she finished her slice, she came to a conclusion. Draco truly meant his apology, and was truly a good person, whether it was a new thing, or he had been for a while. Even though Addi had forced him to socialize with her, he didn't seem to have been that resistant to the idea. By the time they both finished, half of the wine was gone from the bottle.

"Okay, we have had quite a bit of this, why am I not feeling any effects?" She asked eying the markless bottle for an explanation.

"Have you never had Wizards Wine? It only gets you as drunk as you want to be by the end of each glass. The drunkenness doesn't last very long if you do it in one go. Most people build it each time" he explained refilling both of their cups.

"This what we drank the other night then, I was wondering why we were able to drink a whole bottle." He chuckled and _mm-humed_ before raising his glass to her.

"I have a proposal for you Miss Granger, it will require you to let loose for awhile though."

"Oh? Do tell Mister Malfoy," she said raising her glass as well.

"I say, we drink this cup, and get very, very drunk. There is a lot to do around here but, you see, some of it requires a certain mental state to enjoy" He took a sip of his wine.

"I am inclined to take you up on this offer, what do you propose that we do?" She also took a sip.

"Karaoke." He looked her dead in the eye and took another sip. She would have laughed but he seemed so serious. _He must already be a little drunk_ she thought.

"Alright, I will do Karaoke with you on one condition," she took a sip, "you sing first, and you have to sing 2 songs."

"Deal." They both lifted their glasses and downed the remaining wine. She watched as his eyes started to glaze over, and he grinned at her stupidly. She could feel the same happening to her and her head felt fuzzy. Draco stood up, lacking his normal fluidity and grace, and held out his hand to help her up.

"Milady," he slurred. She grabbed his hand and almost pulled him over as she tried to stand up. Once they both regained most of their balance, and were leaning heavily on each other in a mock-standing position, they staggered out the door and down to the floo. Hermione didn't hear the location that Draco called out. She was too focused on how warm and comfortable she was tucked under his arm. They stepped through the floo, almost crashing on the floor in the process. The room they had stepped into was a small cube lit by neon lights that kept shifting colors. In the center of the room, surrounded by chairs, was a floating microphone and a book. He sat her down into one of the chairs and moved to the microphone.

"Why'd you leave?" She asked, missing the feeling of being pressed so close to him.

"My turn first shilly. Did you forget already?" He grabbed the microphone and started walking around the booth, leafing through the book.

"You shee Her-mone," he slurred, "you pick a sog from the book, the word appear infront ob you, and you sing them. Ish like magic." All she could do was giggle at him, wishing he would come back and sit close to her. In stead he staggered for a second but regained his balance and chose his songs walking back to the center.

Draco enthusiastically, albeit unintelligibly, sang and danced to "Sk8r Boi" by Avril Lavigne and "Only Time" by Enya. After he finished, he plopped sloppily into a chair. When she questioned his choices, he drunkenly giggled out, "Avril is my favorite, she has such powderful words Hair-McGee. Muvver loves Enya, they always play it for her. So those were my song choices, deal with it Glranger."

He tried to puff up his chest, but ended up falling off of the chair he was sitting on. They both dissolved into loud peals of laughter and Hermione joined him on the floor. Every time they looked at each other, they started laughing harder and louder. It got to the point that the manager asked them to leave because they were disturbing the other guests.

Slouching against each other once again, much to Hermione's secret joy, he brought them through the floo back to his apartment. He walked over to the window and pulled out his wand. With a few taps and muttered words, the window turned into an open wall space leading out to a balcony. Draco stepped outside and several cushions and blankets appeared. He lay down on one of them and motioned for her to join him. She went and lay down next to him, her head resting on his outstretched arm.

For a long time, they lay there and talked about their days at Hogwarts and their jobs. Eventually they started talking about the stars, pointing out different constellations and comparing the muggle and Wizard lore about each. As she gazed up at the constellation of the Dragon not noticing that Draco had turned to look at her.

"Hermione," he said quietly, more enjoying the sound of it then asking for her to acknowledge him. She turned her head anyway and looked him in the eyes, smiling softly. He pulled her in closer and started speaking slowly to her,

 _The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart  
The prairie sky is wide and high, deep in the heart_

 _The sage in bloom is like perfume, deep in the heart  
Reminds me of the one I love, deep in the heart  
The rabbits rush around the brush, deep in the heart  
The coyotes wail along the trail deep in the heart _

She noticed that their faces had come closer together, only a couple more inches and their lips would touch. Suddenly nervous about the proximity, she cleared her throat and turned her face back to the stars.

"That was beautiful Draco." She said, trying not to insult his poem and attempting to mask her confusion as to what was happening. He grunted in reply. They silently looked up at the stars until they fell asleep. They didn't stay that way for long though. Draco was jolted awake by loud screaming and violent thrashing from Hermione. He quickly held on tightly to her and started trying to calm her down. Eventually her screams turned into sobs and she started blubbering.

"E-everyone was d-dead...H-Harry and Ginny and my parents and J-James...a-and he was going to kill you next...and there was blood everywhere...and he was going to kill you."

For awhile she just sobbed names and he rubbed her back, telling her that everything was going to be okay. Seeing her in such a panicked state made him choke up and he fought back tears. Eventually she stopped sobbing and her breathing evened.

"Hermione, I'm going to ask you somethings and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Is he the reason that you're here? What did he do to you that hurt you so bad."

She told him everything that happened after the War. About how she and Ron were a good couple but that it went downhill really quickly. She explained her reasons for staying even though there were different women coming in and out of her home. She started crying again as she told him about how often she moved and how he found her every time. She explained how scared she was he would find her and hurt her again. Draco grew respect for the Potters and Hermione explained how much of a rock they had been for her during the whole thing. Finally she explained the article she received in the mail today.

"I've been trying to not worry about him finding me but that article really stressed me out today." She wiped the stray tears from her face.

"Hermione, he will not find you here, I swear but if he does, know that Addi and I will make him wish he had never been born. Although, being a Weasley, he probably already does." She swatted his chest and he grinned at her.

"I should go back to my apartment Draco, sorry I fell asleep before. And sorry for...you know..." She tried to wriggle out of his still firm embrace.

"Don't go, Hermione, I don't want you to You want to know a secret Hermione? The poem I told you earlier wasn't something I came up with on my own. It's actually a song about Texas that everyone here seems to know from conception," She looked up at him.

"Seriously? I thought that you were just a really poor poet and you were trying to be romantic or something." She blushed and noticed through the dim light that he was blushing as well.

"I was trying to be romantic...I was still slightly intoxicated though and that was the only thing I could come up with," he admitted ducking his head, "I'm telling you this only because I didn't want you to actually hear it and get mad at me."

"Well then, maybe you should sing it too me so that I know what to listen for from now on." He lifted his head and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Seriously Granger?"

"Very serious, and now that you called me Granger, you have to." So he did.

 _The stars at night - are big and bright  
Deep in the heart of Texas  
The prairie sky - is wide and high  
Deep in the heart of Texas_

 _The sage in bloom - is like perfume  
Deep in the heart of Texas  
Reminds me of - the one I love  
Deep in the heart of Texas  
The cowboys cry - ki-yip-pie-yi  
Deep in the heart of Texas  
The rabbits rush - around the brush_

 _Deep in the heart of Texas  
The coyotes wail - along the trail  
Deep in the heart of Texas  
The doggies bawl - and bawl and bawl  
Deep in the heart of Texas_

By the time he finished, she had fallen back to sleep. He pulled her in close, his face in her hair. He breathed deeply, humming with satisfaction that her hair smelled like old books and something sweet. He soon fell asleep, still taking in as much of her scent as possible.

She woke up to the warmth of the sun directly on her skin. For a brief moment, she thought she was back on the run with Harry. She realized that would be absurd considering that she was in Texas, and wrapped in something that wasn't a scratchy blanket. She opened her eyes and saw that she was being held tightly into Draco's neck. She snuggled closer into him, taking a deep breath. He smelled like something woody that could really only be described as Draco. She smiled, feeling like she could contently.

 _I could stay here forever. I wonder if Draco and I could come to an agreement to do this often...like dating,_ she had meant it as a joke to herself but realized that she could actually live with dating Draco Malfoy. That thought made her bolt up, and run back to her apartment, leaving a confused Draco on the balcony.

Once back in her apartment, she paced back and forth in her living room trying to not pull her hair out. _Date Draco Malfoy, what has happened to me? It's probably just a fluke, it's hard to not feel for someone in that situation. I can't ignore this though, if I do, it may spiral out of control. I'll spend some more time with him if I can this week. I have to make sure that I don't really have feelings for him. If I do though, I'm screwed._


	5. Ch 5 Amico Veritatis Revelatio

**Deep In the Heart**

 **ForestofRowan**

 **Chapter 5 Amico Veritatis Revelatio**

 **A/N: OMG! Hi loves! First off, I realized that I missed a small detail about the apartment doors, it may seem super insignificant but, the lack of detail would cause some confusion. The doors swing open both in, and out. Also, sorry I couldn't post a chapter last week, I went home for the weekend and didn't have a chance to. I want to say a quick thank you! This story has received some awesome feedback so far and I have y'all to thank for it! Keep those reviews coming, I greatly enjoy and need them. Any feedback y'all have for what you want, or don't want, or what I can improve would be terrific! Thanks to Rou for making me make him my beta.**

 **Disclaimer! I don't own any of this, and I make no profit from this story.**

Draco slowly picked himself up off the ground a few minutes after Hermione fled his apartment, making sure it wasn't a case of morning wood that scared her away. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he pulled out his wand and returned the apartment to how it was before. Once done, he flopped down on the couch rubbing the light stubble on his face. Slowly, the washroom door opened and Addi walked into the room.

"Why did Miss Granger leave? I was going to make the two of you breakfast," she whispered, trying not to wake the sleeping kitten on her head.

"I must have said or done something last night to offend her and she didn't remember it till this morning. I'll have to talk to her later to figure all this out," he sat up and patted the spot next to him on the couch. Addi joined him, conjuring a small set of steps to climb up next to him.

"Thank you for making me go out last night, Addi, I actually had a pretty great time," he said while petting Jean.

"Of course, Mister Draco, but please, wait to share the details until after Mister Blaise and Miss Pansy get here. I'm sure Miss Pansy will be very excited. You should probably get to making their rooms before they get here," she stepped back down her steps and started to head off to the kitchen.

"Wait, what? Pansy and Blaise, why are they coming here?"

"Does Mister Draco not remember? You invited them to come stay for a week, you took off work for it. They should be getting here at around 4 o'clock," he stood up blaming his fuzzy-headed neighbor for his forgetfulness. Addi walked into the kitchen and started cooking breakfast while Draco scrambled to get the apartment into order. He quickly added two bedrooms for his best friends where the balcony had been the night before. Just as he finished transporting their beds and personal decorations out of storage and into their rooms, the floo whooshed.

Blaise stepped out first, dressed in his usual black slacks and a dress-shirt. He quickly deposited about fifteen shrunken suitcases into the nearest chair before turning back around to help Pansy step through. She ignored his outstretched hand and teetered out of the floo, catching herself before almost falling flat on her face.

"Pans, you shouldn't wear high heels for such a long floo trip. And you call yourself a pure-blood witch." He shook his head in disappointment.

"Can it dragon boy, don't criticize someone's fashion sense when you have none," she raised her eyebrows as if to say 'see what I mean' as she brushed the soot off of her floral blouse and black skinny jeans. He just rolled his eyes at her and walked over and wrapped her and the grinning Blaise into a hug.

"Glad you two could make it, good job bringing so few bags this time Pans," he said nodding to the pile of suitcases on the chair. She flipped her long pony-tail over her shoulder and grinned, truly proud of herself.

"I was going to bring about five or so more but Mister-hard-ass over here," she poked Blaise's arm, "made me unpack them. Glad he did though, now we have more space to carry home all the shopping I'll be doing." Blaise and Draco groaned in unison and Pansy laughed manically before grabbing the bags, throwing one into Blaise's room, and taking all the others into her room.

"Is she still refusing to let you put an expansion spell on her bags Blaise?" Draco asked as they settled into the recliners.

"You know how she is Draco, if she can't do something herself, she won't let me do it for her"

"Then why did she make us do all her homework back at school?" A muffled _I heard that Draco_ came from her room, causing the boys to chuckle. Eventually Pansy came back out of her room and sat on the couch, propping her feet on the coffee table.

"So Draco, what do you have planned for the week? Nothing to do with the zoo again, I hope, my clothes still reek from last time," she said plucking invisible lint from her pants. He inwardly grimaced, of course she would want to know everything he was supposed to plan for the week. How else was she supposed to know what to wear three days in advance.

"It is a surprise Pans, but it looks like I'll have to re-plan Wednesday since you don't want to go to the zoo." Blaise laughed from the other side of the room, obviously knowing that Draco was lying.

"Looks like it _will_ be a surprise for all of us, Pans, including Draco! Little bird tells me that our dear Draco has been quite busy this week with an unexpected distraction. Even forgot we were coming, wouldn't say why though. Care to share, Draco?" He grinned maliciously at the blonde across from him. Draco inwardly groaned, _I thought I told Addi not to report to Blaise every week anymore._

"Draco! How dare you forget about me, after all I've done for you!" Pansy's hand shot up to her heart in feign shock, fake tears welling up in her dark eyes.

"Pans, come on, don't do that, you'll mess up your make-up and I'll get in trouble for it," Draco said, causing Pansy to immediately drop her facade. Draco continued, "I'm sorry I forgot. I've been busy with some personal stuff and it just slipped my mind. I'll come up with a plan for the week tonight, I promise." She crossed her arms and her nose shot up in the air in haughty acceptance. Eventually she stopped ignoring Draco's pleas for forgiveness, and he joined her on the couch. It'd been a few months since the last time they were together, so they spent some time catching up. Eventually, Addi walked out of the kitchen, the heavy smell of roast and potatoes following her out the door.

"So glad you made it here safely, Mister Blaise and Miss Pansy. Dinner should be ready soon," she turned to Draco, "Mister Draco, why don't you invite Miss Granger to join us for dinner. I'm sure she would appreciate some company." Blaise and Pansy turned to each other, confused and eager looks on each of their faces. Draco blanched, _shit._

"Did you just say Granger, Addi? As in Hermione Granger?" Blaise asked slowly.

"Yes, she just moved in across the hall. She and Mister Draco have been spending some time together over the last week." Mischievous grins spread across their faces as they connected the dots.

"Blaise my dear, I believe we have found the source of our dear friends absent-mindedness," Pansy whispered loudly.

"Shall we go pay the Gryffindor Princess a visit Pansy?" Blaise whispered back grinning wickedly at Draco.

"No, no, no you should not pay her a visit," Draco said in his most menacing tone possible.

"I agree Blaise, I believe she owes us an explanation for why she tried to steal our dear Dragon," Pansy laughed and she and Blaise jumped up and ran out of the room, throwing pillows at Draco.

"Shit, guys, stop, you'll ruin everything!" He ran after them, but tripped on a pillow and reached the hall a second too late. Pansy raised her hand and knocked on the door of 221A. Hermione opened the door, looked at them, and slammed it right in Pansy's face. Pansy slowly turned around, jaw dropped and then started laughing, Blaise quickly joining in.

"I can see now why you liked her back at school, she truly does have guts! I think I like her myself!" Then she grabbed Blaise's arm and drug him back into Draco's apartment. Once inside, they pressed their ears to the door and with the assistance of an amplifying spell, listened to what was going on outside.

* * *

Eventually after she left Draco's apartment, Hermione stopped wearing a hole in her floor. Taking a deep breath, she noticed that she reeked of garlic and sweat, and decided to take a shower. She chucked the offensive articles in the laundry basket, noting that it was almost full. _That will give me an excuse to see him later, I suppose,_ she thought as she stepped into the shower.

She smiled fondly, thinking of the night before as she washed her treacherous curls. She hadn't had that much fun in ages, even with the Potters. He had easily led her to slip out of her shell, have fun, and actually open up to him. Even with the situation they ended up in, she didn't think she minded all too much. Although, the fact she was beginning to trust her platinum-haired neighbor was puzzling to her. _I like him, why do I like him, shouldn't I be scarred for life from men? Why am I able to trust Draco Malfoy, of all people, so quickly? I haven't been able to trust anyone but my parents and the Potters since I left Ron._ She thought about it for a moment, _maybe it's because he has no reason to trust me either, but does. By all regards, neither of us should be able to trust one another._ Once she had finished, she stepped out of the shower, lightly humming "S8r Boi" as she dried off. _That's going to be stuck in my head all day now, thank you so much Draco._

She continued humming as she slipped on some PJs and went to the kitchen. Finally looking at a clock, she noticed that it was almost noon. She went to the fridge and pulled out sandwich supplies, needing to sate her now growling stomach. It was quick and simple, and filled her enough to move on with her day. After cleaning up her mess, she returned to her living room and picked up the book she had abandoned the night before. As usual, she lost herself in her book.

Several hours later, she was raised from her stupor when the door across the hall had banged open, startling her into dropping the book. She heard feminine giggle, a deep chuckle, and a yell of protest before there was a knock at her door. Cautiously, Hermione got up and slowly opened the door. Once open, it took a few seconds to register what she was seeing. At her front door was Pansy Parkinson, now grown up and beautiful having grown out of her pug features. Behind her stood Blaise Zabini, looking the same as ever, but with a huge grin on his face. Behind both of them stood a red-faced Draco, whether from embarrassment or anger, Hermione couldn't tell.

Not sure what else to do, Hermione slammed the door in Pansy's face. She could hear the dark haired girl start laughing, her companion joining her. Eventually they stopped and Hermione heard Pansy say ' _I can see now why you liked her back at school, she truly does have guts! I think I like her myself!'_ and her and someone else's heavy footsteps disappeared back across the hall. Draco started lightly knocking on her door a few minutes later, begging quietly for her to open the door. She was conflicted on whether or not she should. Had he told them that she was here, and told them to come and see for themselves? Were they here to torment her? Maybe it was an accident? What if Draco was trying to inadvertently reveal her location. She could handle the Ferret, but not the Pug and the Pillar!

Eventually, Hermione gave into Draco's pleas for her to open the door. She quickly opened the door in so that she wouldn't hit him again. Unfortunately for her, he was mid-knock when she opened the door, knocking directly into her right eye.

"Merlin's Beard Draco!" Hermione yelled, blinking rapidly through the tears welling up.

"Shit, sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry," he yelled back, rushing forward and grabbing her head, tilting it up towards his face to inspect her eye. She didn't put up much of a fight, knowing it needed to be examined and secretly glad to be near him again.

"Looks to be alright, it'll be red for a little while, but you'll live," he released her head and they stepped back from one another, laughing awkwardly, and then growing quiet.

"Guess that makes us almost even then, you've got one hit left though," she said, breaking the silence. Hermione then remembered that she was, uncertainly, mad at him and frowned at him, crossing her arms.

"Why are they here? Did you tell them I was here? What if they somehow slip to the wrong person where I am? What happened to Ron not finding me, huh?" She asked angrily.

"Hermione, I didn't tell them you were here, I promise. I invited them to come for the week awhile back. I would have told you, but honestly, I forgot they were even coming. Addi mentioned you, and that you should come over for dinner, and Blaise and Pansy couldn't help themselves. I tried to stop them from coming over here, but they got a head start." She rolled her eyes and tried to go back into her apartment. He put his hands on her shoulders to keep her where she was.

"Hermione, they aren't here for your safety's sake, not everything is about you. Addi wanted you to join all of us for dinner. Come over and find out for yourself if you don't believe me," she thought about it for a moment and shook his hands off her shoulders.

"Fine, I'll be over in a minute." She turned around and went back into her apartment, closing the door behind her.

"This is such a bad idea," Hermione said as she went into her bedroom to change. She quickly threw on some jeans and a t-shirt before putting on a quick layer of mascara. She shoved her keys and her wand in her pocket before heading across the hall. Someone had left the door to 221B open so she stepped in and softly closed it behind her. Hermione followed the sound of voices into the kitchen, wanting to get the whole evening over with as quickly as possible. Addi was dishing vegetables out of a crock-pot and smiled widely at Hermione when she saw her.

"Oh, Miss Granger! I'm so glad you could make it! Please, go sit down next to Mister Draco, dinner will be done in just a minute." Addi returned to what she was doing, and Hermione turned to look at the people at the table. Blaise and Pansy had their backs to Hermione, but had curiously swiveled their heads to stare at her when she entered the room. Head held high, Hermione walked across the room and sat down across from Blaise. She looked up at Draco and he gave her a small smile.

"Hermione," Blaise said, drawing her attention back to the other side of the table, "I would like to apologize for the way we acted earlier. We could hear, and Draco explained, your situations and concerns a-"

"We have no intentions of risking your safety. Draco didn't tell us you were here. We just couldn't believe the reason that Draco forgot we were coming was because of you!" Pansy cut in as the food appeared on the table.

"I'm sorry I told them Miss Granger, I didn't think that inviting you here would cause such a ruckus," Addi said, settling into her booster seat.

"Let's stop worrying about all of this, she is here now, so let's eat," Draco said, serving himself a portion of the roast. They all murmured in agreement, delving out portions of mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, and roast. Hermione ate in silence, observing the others at the table.

It was very different than most dinners Hermione had encountered. At home, she and her parents would sit in comfortable silence around the table, saving conversation till after dinner so they wouldn't have to speak through food. At Hogwarts and at the Burrow, it was loud, and there was no regard for manners. Hermione would often be drenched in half-chewed food that was spit out while someone was speaking. At Grimmauld Place, it was a fine mix of the two, James would throw food around, and Harry would talk loudly about his day while Ginny sat there quietly talking when needed.

Blaise ate slowly, but took huge bites. He would wait until someone had a mouthful of food before saying something crude. At one point, Hermione ended up almost spewing potatoes all over him when he made a joke about goblin sex. Pansy ate quickly in small bites, and tried furiously not to laugh at Blaise's jokes. She would occasionally update them on the social news in London. Draco intermittently joked around with Blaise, and told his own jokes and stories. With all that was going on though, Hermione couldn't help but sneak glances at Draco every so often. _It wouldn't be too bad being with him, he is attractive. Plus, Pansy and Blaise seem to admire him a lot, he must be worth the time. This is so confusing._ She turned back to her food but realized Pansy was glancing at her, as if she could read her mind. Hermione tried to avoid looking up for the rest of dinner. During the round of apple pie, Blaise started addressing Hermione directly.

"So, what is it that you do all day, Granger? You don't seem like the sit-around type." Blaise said after politely swallowing a bite. Hermione quickly finished her mouthful and took a sip of wine.

"I work at a bookshop across the street. You're right, I am far from the 'sit-around type', I would go crazy if I didn't have something to do," she took another sip and continued, "what is it that the two of you do?" Blaise had just put a bite into his mouth, and gestured for Pansy to answer.

"I am a designer and own a small wizarding fashion company in Paris," Pansy said with a sour look on her face.

"Do you not enjoy it? It seems like something you would be good at." Hermione said, causing Pansy to puff out her chest a little bit.

"I do enjoy it, and am quite good at it, but it gets dull making the same things everyone else is. All anyone is interested in is traditional robes." Pansy stared at her plate grumpily.

"You'll figure it out Pans, we know you're good, isn't that all that matters?" Draco smiled at her, she rolled her eyes and smiled back.

"What about you Blaise?" Hermione turned her attention to the man sitting across from her.

"Nothing special, I took over my father's business, I just sign papers all day really." He said taking another bite of pie.

"What is your business then?" Hermione asked, he didn't answer, just winked at her and continued chewing.

"He won't tell any of us, I assume it has something to do with human trafficking though," Pansy said sticking her tongue out at him, obviously as unamused as Hermione at the lack of details.

No one said anything else. Once they finished eating, Addi forced Pansy and Hermione out into the living room with glasses of wine, as Draco and Blaise did the dishes. They sat on opposite ends of the couch from one another, sipping their wine and making small talk. Hermione made sure to focus on not getting drunk, she may be starting to like the pair, but she wasn't quite ready to be that open yet.

"So, Granger, what's the deal with you and Draco? As his best friend, I need to know what you intend to do to the poor Dragon Boy," Pansy said quietly, leaning in close to Hermione.

"I'm not quite sure I know what you mean?" Hermione wanted to avoid the question, she wasn't quite sure of the answer.

"Don't be daft, you know exactly what I mean," Pansy smirked at her, "you are so worried that someone will find you, yet you're trusting him and his judgment of us?" Hermione inwardly groaned, and Pansy raised her eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

"Honestly, I don't really want anything from him. I suppose we are becoming friends, but he is the one who asked me in the first place. When I first moved in, he apologized for everything he had done over the years. He hasn't given me any true reason not to trust him yet. He seems to have changed a lot since school, and since Addi has him under her thumb, I don't have too much to worry about." Hermione finished, causing Pansy to giggle.

"Quite true, she is the only one I know who can truly boss him around. One time, when we were about six or seven, he and Addi came over to my house while our parents were having a business meeting. The three of us went to play in my room. She managed to force him into one of my big, pink, fluffy dresses, with pink sparkly heels. She made him sit down while I did his makeup and hair. His father was furious when he found his son dressed and acting as a princess, having a tea party," Pansy and Hermione started giggling.

"No way, I don't believe you," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"Ah, but I took a picture, Addi made sure we got photo evidence before his father found us" Pansy summoned her purse from her room, and pulled out a small photo. She handed it to Hermione, and she examined it.

She could hardly believe her eyes, there, sitting like a proper lady was Draco, looking a few years younger than he did when they first met. He was in a hot pink princess dress, the width of which was almost twice as how tall he was. There was so much tool, she doubted that he could have stood up. Pansy had covered his white hair in pink glitter paste, and most of it was starting to drip down his face. Bright pink lipstick covered almost the whole lower half of his face, as opposed to the hot pink eye-shadow that covered the top part. He was frowning grumpily, shaking his head until Addi came into the frame. She was pulling up her cheeks, in demonstration of a smile. He then gave the camera an unimpressed smirk, rolling his eyes before the picture looped. Hermione couldn't stop the violent laughter that erupted from her mouth, and soon enough, Pansy joined.

Pansy slipped the small photo back into her purse once the boys finished the dishes and joined them in the living room, confused as to why they were laughing so hard. They only laughed harder when Draco asked, _what is wrong with you two._ Hermione was able to gasp out _pink_ before the two girls started laughing again. Finally, tears streaking down their faces, and clutching their sides, they stopped laughing. The two men settled into the recliners and the group settled into comfortable conversation for awhile.

"What brings you here to Texas, of all places, Granger? Draco said something about safety, but wouldn't tell us more than that," Blaise inquired. Draco looked towards her, concern etched on his face.

"Hermione, you don't have to tell them, I can tell them later if you would like me to." Although understanding, and appreciating Draco's sentiment, she shook her head.

"No, I felt a little better after telling you, it will probably be beneficial if I actually talk about it." Hermione took a big breath, trying to gather her remaining wits, and told them the story she had told Draco the night before. By the end, the two male Slytherins were seething. On the other hand, Pansy was furiously stomping around the room.

"What an ass! I knew I liked the ginger the least out of you three! Why wouldn't you get a restraining order? Were you that focused on your pride?" She had stopped pacing, and now stood, hands on her hips, glaring at Hermione.

"I just didn't want it to be public that we had broken up. Yes, it was to save my pride, but it was the only thing I had left. Plus, that wouldn't have stopped him from coming after me, he always found me and managed to get past my wards. It would have simply been too much trouble for something that might not have worked. It also ran the risk of him becoming angrier and going after the Potters or my parents." Hermione said back, stubbornly returning the eye contact. Pansy's face softened and she sighed in defeat.

"I guess that makes sense, I didn't think about that. Still, if I ever see that git again, I'll tear off his balls," she sat back down with an angry huff.

"Impressive Granger, that's the most angry I've seen Pansy in awhile. Maybe you should tell that story for her before she goes out with a guy, she would have enough passion to actually get laid" Blaise said, grinning, toasting his glass to her. Hermione blushed hotly, Pansy became angrier, and Draco laughed at how uncomfortable they were.

"Hermione, dear? Do you have an extra bedroom that I could stay in for a time? I don't think I can stand spending too much time around these two foolish, inconsiderate children," Pansy said sweetly.

"Um...I can make one for you," Hermione replied, noticing how Blaise's expression turned to instant regret. She got up and went across the hall to transform the apartment leaving the door open to hear what was going on.

"Pans, don't be that way, you know that I was kidding," Blaise pleaded.

"I've made up my mind, I'm staying with Hermione," Pansy said standing up, "Draco, be a dear and move my bed and things to Hermione's? Also, you may need to show her how to make the extra room." He got up and went into her room, shrinking everything inside, putting them in his pockets. The tension was thick in the living room as he walked through to go to Hermione's apartment.

"I'll get your bags for you Pans," Blaise said going into her room and coming back out with the shrunken suitcases.

"I don't need your charity, Blaise," Pansy said, summoning her bags with a flick of her wand and walking haughtily out of the apartment.

"You'll have to accept my assistance one day, Pans, there is no reason to resist it now," Blaise yelled after her, before stomping off into his room and slamming the door.

As Pansy walked through Hermione's living room, she noticed how there were hardly any decorations, and no personality in the room. After inspecting the pictures on the mantel, she followed Draco and Hermione's voices through an open door by the kitchen. They had just finished placing her small baubles and trinkets when she walked in. She deposited her suit cases on the bed.

"Draco, you might want to head back before Blaise breaks something," Pansy said, as she started unpacking. He smiled at Hermione and whispered, "Good luck, and goodnight," before heading back to his apartment. Hermione turned back towards Pansy, and they silently unpacked her bags. Once they finished, Hermione gave her a short tour of her apartment. Pansy noted how bare her closet, walls, and floors were. Once done, they returned to Pansy's room, and sat on the end of the bed.

"Thank you for all of this Hermione, I'm sorry to intrude like this," Pansy said grimacing.

"Don't worry about it, I totally understand. I grew up with guys, remember? Sometimes you just have to get away," Hermione smiled at the other woman reassuringly.

Hermione surveyed the room she had helped Draco meticulously put together. The walls were a light green, paired with light colored wood furniture. The bed was large, and very comfortable, with a thick, white, downy comforter, and big pillows. The small trinkets adorning the tops of almost every surface confused Hermione. There were small stones and piles of shapeless colored glass. She figured that someone like Pansy would require more flashy and expensive decorations. Pansy noticed Hermione's path of sight and went over to pick up a glittery purple rock.

"These were all that I could recover from my room. As you may know, during the war my family and I chose to remain neutral. Some people didn't like that, and they burned our house down. Luckily we weren't home at the time, so all that was ruined was our belongings." She put the rock back, and sat back down on the bed next to Hermione.

"Did they ever find out who did it?" Hermione asked.

"It was never even investigated, with all that was going on, what was one burned house with no deaths? I do suspect Draco played a part in it though."

"Why?"

"My room had the least damage, my clothes were burned and some of my things melted, but that was it. Plus, the fact that we weren't home at the time wasn't by accident," Pansy sighed, "I hope you truly do start to trust all of us, especially Draco. We can't be here for him all the time, and he needs support. He may seem put together, but he is a mess, Hermione." A tear fell down Pansy's face, and she got up, getting things together for bed. Realizing Pansy wanted to be alone, Hermione got up and went to her room.

* * *

Hermione hardly got any sleep that night, thinking about all that Pansy had said. She knew the basics about what happened to Draco, but hadn't given it much thought. Now, that was all she could think about. _How was he managing to stay even remotely sane after what he had been through? Would he ever tell me about it? I told him about Ron, and he was genuinely worried for me. Would I be able to return the favor? If I trust him enough to tell him about Ron, could Draco trust me enough to tell me things? We're both here, we might as well be here for each other. I've made up my mind, Draco and I will become whatever we will become,_ and with that, she fell asleep.

In what felt like minutes, but was actually several hours, Hermione's alarm went off. She rolled herself groggily out of bed, took a quick shower, and went to get breakfast. She had honestly forgotten that she had a house guest until she walked into the kitchen and saw someone going through her cabinets. She almost screamed, regretting leaving her wand in her room, until the person stood up. Pansy actually did scream.

"Hermione, you startled me! I didn't know you were standing there!" Pansy had her hand clutched over her heart, and she leaned on the counter, catching her breath.

"You scared me, I forgot you were here," Hermione chuckled, "what were you doing?"

"Looking to see if there was anything for breakfast, I would have summoned it but I left my purse and wand at Draco's," her stomach growled loudly as she finished speaking. Hermione laughed, shaking her head, and walking to the refrigerator. She pulled out ingredients to make eggs-in-a-basket, and Pansy sat on the counter.

"Hermione, when was the last time you went shopping for something other than food?" Pansy said coolly while inspecting her, still perfect, nails. Hermione eyed the other girl suspiciously.

"I don't know," she said hesitantly, "few years I guess."

"I was just wondering, seems like the only thing you have enough of is books," Pansy looked her straight in the eyes this time. Hermione looked back at the food, slightly embarrassed.

"Back in London, I had to move a lot, it was just easier to not have a lot to take with me," Hermione muttered, Pansy nodded.

"That's what I figured," she clapped her hands, and her eyes lit up, "well, you're here now. I say after breakfast, you and I go shopping." She smiled brightly at Hermione as she considered the idea.

"Might as well," Hermione finally sighed, causing Pansy to sequel and bounce excitedly up and down. They ate quickly, and Pansy got ready while Hermione picked up her book she kept getting interrupted from.

"Have you two set up an apparition point yet?" Pansy asked finally came out of her room.

"No, I honestly forgot that we could," Hermione admitted. Pansy scoffed and started walking towards the floo.

"Wait Pansy, shouldn't we tell the guys where we are going? That way you can get your wand back too," Hermione said, getting up and walking to the front door.

"That's probably a good idea," Pansy admitted, rolling her eyes and following Hermione out. Hermione locked her door as Pansy knocked on the other. Addi opened the door and smiled at the two girls, letting them in.

"Misters Draco and Blaise are still asleep right now," she said quietly, nodding towards their doors, "do you two want breakfast?" Pansy shook her head.

"No thanks Addi, we actually just ate at Hermione's. We stopped by so that I could get my purse and to let the guys know that Hermione and I are going out for the day," Pansy said while fishing her purse out from under the couch.

"Will you be back for dinner?" Addi asked.

"We had better be, right Pansy?" Hermione asked, the trio laughed quietly when Pansy just shrugged for a reply.

"Is it alright if we use this floo Addi?" Pansy said, already with a fist full of powder. Addi nodded, waved goodbye and went back to her room.

"Ready to go?" Pansy asked, taking Hermione's arm, walking them to the floo.

"I don't think I have much a choice in the matter," Hermione said, before Pansy whisked them off to the first store.

Pansy dragged Hermione to furniture stores all over both Wizarding and Muggle Dallas. She helped her pick out bar stools and decorations for her kitchen, as well as decorations for the rest of the house. Hermione's favorite purchase of the day was a vintage oak desk and chair for her room. They transported each purchase back to the apartment. When they finished, they went back and placed everything they had bought where it belonged. They took a quick lunch break before heading back out, this time to shop for clothes.

Pansy forced Hermione to buy a multitude of dress and regular robes, in all colors and styles. Then they moved on to a high-end muggle department store, where Pansy had a reserved changing section, for when she would come into town. She deposited Hermione in the large room and ran off to pick out clothes. Hermione sat back on the plush red couch, glad to finally get a break. _What has my life come to? I'm out shopping with Pansy Parkinson after she spent the night at my apartment, and I'm having an amazing time. I've made friends with two Slytherins, and I'm falling for the third. That should be disturbing, but it's not. They're all so different from what I remember them being like at school. I wonder if they have always been this way and we just didn't know._ She laughed at the absurdity of it all, and Pansy came back into the room, followed by several store workers, all carrying large armfuls of clothes. They hung them up on the tacks that covered the walls, and left. Hermione stared at the clothes, shocked.

"Pansy, did you not have dolls as a child or something?" Hermione asked, breathless.

"Of course I did, I always wanted a sister to play dress up with though," she giggled, "all I had to do that with was Draco." Both girls laughed for a few minutes, and eventually Pansy picked a few items off a peg, handing them to Hermione. This was far from the girl Hermione went to Hogwarts with. After several rounds of clothes, Pansy spoke through the changing curtain to Hermione.

"Hermione, can I ask you something?" She sounded nervous, which made Hermione stop what she was doing, slip on a robe, and walk back into the room.

"Are you okay Pansy?" She asked, sitting down next to the dark haired girl.

"Yes, it's nothing bad, I was just wondering something," she turned to Hermione and grabbed her hands.

"Okay, what is it?" Hermione asked, before waiting patiently for Pansy to continue a few seconds later.

"Oh god this is embarrassing but there is really only one way to say it...is it weird if I think of you as a best friend already?" She tried to make eye-contact with Hermione, but ended up diverting her gaze to the floor. Hermione couldn't help but laugh briefly at the other girl.

"That's all? You act like that was such a big deal. No, it isn't weird, Pansy, I feel the same." Pansy squealed and crushed Hermione in a big hug.

"Thank goodness, I wasn't sure if it was just me or not. I've never actually spent much time with other females before." Pansy gushed.

"Me neither," Hermione giggled at the other girls enthusiasm, "okay, I have a question for you." Pansy nodded and sat in attention.

"Has he always been this way?"

"What and who do you mean?" Pansy asked, confused.

"Draco, he was always such a git in school. Has he actually always been the great person he is now?" Hermione felt her cheeks get warm, and Pansy smirked knowingly.

"Yes, he has always been this way. He could never show anyone other than Blaise or I though. He was the way he acted because of his father. After awhile, it started being really hard on him, so he started avoiding people all together. Now that his father is gone, he can be whoever he wants to be. More importantly, he can be with whoever he wants to be with," Pansy winked at her new best friend.

"I-I don't know what you mean," Hermione stuttered.

"You like him, don't you? I could see the way you looked at him last night during dinner!" Hermione's face got even redder, and she just nodded.

"Oh my Merlin, this is terrific!" Pansy started dancing in her seat.

"Don't get too excited, it's just a little crush, Pansy. It probably comes from the fact he is a nice person who I've known for awhile, and we're both far from home." Hermione said.

"But you don't have a crush on Blaise or I," she started cackling, "awh, my two best friends."

"Even so, there is no way he likes me, Pansy," Hermione muttered.

"Why not? He did it before, I'm sure he can do it again. Actually, I bet he already does! I bet you didn't notice that he was looking at you the same way you looked at him last night." Hermione's face got even redder.

"No he was-"

"Yes, he was, I'll even prove it to you later! I say we give you a makeover and see how her reacts," Pansy grinned wickedly.

"Wouldn't that mean he would like the new me, not the old me?" Hermione asked as Pansy pushed her back into the changing stall.

"Stop reading so much into it you doofus," she paused for a second to hand Hermione more clothes, "you know, when you two do get together, you'll have to be gentle with him Hermione. Poor boy has never even seen a naked female, other than his own mother on the day he was born," Pansy said nonchalantly staring at the curtain. Realizing what she had just revealed, her hands flew up to her mouth, and she started laughing hysterically.

"Wait, he is a virgin!?" Hermione yelled, walking out of the stall, not realizing she was only in her underwear.  
"I should not have said that, he is going to kill me," Pansy said, trying to catch her breath.

"So the great Draco Malfoy is a virgin? Even Neville Longbottom isn't a virgin! I thought you two were an item or something back at school. You even bragged about how good he was in bed!"

"I only said that stuff so that Draco could get his silly little ego boosts. He was always so preoccupied with his father's plans of him surpassing Harry in quidditch, and you in academics, he never had time to pursue skirts," she cleared her throat uncomfortably, face turning red, "to tell the truth, we're both virgins, and I couldn't have been with Draco even if I had wanted to. I've been in an arranged marriage since I was born. It would have been very bad for me had I actually been with Draco."

"Pansy that's awful, I had no clue, I'm so sorry. Is there no way to get out of it?"

"It's alright, and I didn't want anyone to know. That's why Draco and I said we were together. That way no one would ever suspect I was in an arranged marriage, and that Draco wasn't a sex god. I was afraid that people would just see me as someone's wife, instead of someone who could actually accomplish things. I've always been pretty independent, and I didn't want people to think I wasn't."

"Is there no way out of it? Who is it anyway?" Pansy went back to examining her nails, muttering something Hermione couldn't hear.

"What?" Hermione asked, she had never seen this confident woman act so bashful before.

"It's Blaise, we've tried to get out of it but there isn't anything we can do about it. Over the years he has fallen in love with me though, so he wasn't trying too hard to do anything about it. It's not that I don't love him back though," Pansy whispered in a rush, "I just can't tell him that, I can't stand the idea of submitting to someone like that. It makes me feel awful, because I'm making him feel bad, because he thinks I don't love him." By the time she stopped speaking, she was sobbing onto Hermione's shoulder. Hermione patted her dark hair, trying to calm her down

"Wow, it feels really good to get that off my chest, I've never told anyone else before." The way Blaise and Pansy had acted the night before finally made sense to Hermione. After a few minutes, Pansy stopped crying, and started laughing.

"It's been one hell of a day, huh?" She asked. Hermione agreed, and watched as Pansy cast a few spells, arranging her makeup back to its perfect condition.

"Will you hurry up and finish trying on these clothes? We have more to do today," Pansy said, causing Hermione to notice she was hardly wearing any clothes, and scramble back into the stall. Hermione quickly tried on all the clothes, most of which were discarded into a 'no' pile. Eventually, she had picked out a large amount of things for several occasions. Pansy called in a store clerk, and Hermione payed for all of her items before transporting them to her apartment.

"Where to next?" Hermione asked, as they stepped into the blazing Texas heat.

"Hold on a second." Pansy said, before pulling something out of her pocket.

"Is that a cell phone?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"Yeah, Draco got us all one for Christmas last year. The Wizarding world is very different out here compared to home," Pansy said, before dialing a number, and holding the small device to her ear. "Hello Sean, it's Pansy, do you have a slot open for a friend of mine today?...Sure we can be there in five minutes! See you then!" Pansy hung up the phone, grabbed Hermione's arm and led her to the alley.

"Hate to do this, but we will have to side-along." Pansy said before apparating them out of the alley. They landed in a room where everything was a matte silver. It was lit by bright silver balls floating around the room, darting around silver plants, and a silver barber's chair, and the short bald man sitting in it.

"Sean," Pansy said, walking arms out to the man giving him a hug. He stood up, and Hermione got a good look at him. He, and everything he was wearing, seemed to be made of some sort of shiny black metal or rock.

"Hermione, I'd like you to meet Sean Bill, he is the best around," Pansy said gesturing to the man, "Sean, this is my friend, Hermione Granger." He walked forward and shook her hand. She was shocked to find that his hand was warm, and actually felt like flesh, instead of metal. He chuckled at her obvious surprise.

"It's paint my dear, I've found that some ways of expression are better than others," he chuckled again, "now, please sit," he turned to Pansy, "what is it that we are doing today?"

"Wait, why are you asking her?" Hermione asked confused. They just laughed.

"No offense Hermione, but I don't think you're in the position to make those kinds of decisions," Hermione opened her mouth to protest, "You hardly wanted to do this in the first place, remember?" Hermione sat back into her chair and listened to them discuss what to do.

"Hermione, dear, how opposed would you be to the idea of short hair?" Sean asked picking up the giant mass that was her hair. She thought about it for a moment before smiling.

"Not opposed at all. Ron was the only person who ever liked it. But fuck him, I don't have to deal with him anymore." Sean and Pansy both smiled at her approvingly, and Sean got to work. When he had finished, the longest of her hair settled just under her earlobe. The rest lay in different lengths around her head, giving her volume totally different from the kind she was used to. Sean gave her a spell to straighten it in the mornings. After trimming Pansy's hair, he sent them on their way, not letting them pay, saying all the payment he needed was 'helping a beautiful girl get on with her life'.

* * *

Inside 221B, Draco had just finished making dinner. While waiting for the girls to get back, they were watching an American Football game on the TV.

"So, things are still not going well with Pansy?" Draco asked, turning to his friend during a commercial break. Blaise frowned.

"You know they aren't, why do you have to ask? She still isn't giving me a chance," he complained.

"You'll get her eventually Blaise, don't worry about it too much," Draco said, trying to reassure his friend.

"What do you know? You've never even had a real girlfriend before," he barked out a laugh, "Hell, you won't even admit that you still like Granger." Draco flushed red.

"That's not fair Blaise, I couldn't while we were in school, and I can't now." Blaise's phone dinged.

"They're back, give them about thirty minutes to get situated and we'll head over," he said after reading the text from Pansy. Thirty minutes later, they started heading out the door with the food.

"Why can't you like her now?"

"Because, I don't doubt she has sworn off men after Ron. Plus, there is now way she could possibly like someone as fucked up as me."

"You aren't fucked up Draco, you're still a virgin," Blaise smirked from behind Draco

"You're a git Blaise," Draco said, before the door to 221A opened. Draco forgot about his anger as soon as he saw the unattainable girl behind the door.

* * *

Hermione couldn't get over how happy she was about her hair. Sure, she would miss her hair, she had been growing it out forever, but she knew it was time to move one. She kept touching her head as they stepped through the floo.

"If you keep touching it, the spell will wear off," Pansy warned, and they walked into Hermione's bedroom. As they were finishing putting up all of Hermione's new clothes, there was a knock at the door. Hermione went and checked the peep hole, it was Draco and Blaise arguing with each other, plates of food levitating behind them. Hermione unlocked the door, and let them in. Had Draco been carrying the plates, they would have fallen to the floor to join is jaw.

"H-Hermione?" He asked, astounded.

"Impressive isn't it?" Pansy said, walking out of the bedroom.

"Did you do this?" Blaise asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes, but we can talk about it as we eat, come on." She walked into the kitchen, Blaise and the food following her. Hermione and Draco stayed in the living room, and he reached out and touched her newly shorn locks.

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Yeah, actually, do you?"

"Absolutely, it was a great decision." she smiled up at him, and he smiled back.

"Well, I think you looked beautiful either way." he said. She was about to ask why he and Blaise were fighting in the hallway, but Pansy stuck her head out of the kitchen door.

"Would you two hurry up? We're starving!" She went back in, and Draco and Hermione followed her. Pansy talked all through dinner about their day, shocking the boys when she referred to Hermione as her best friend.

"Sounds like you girls had an exciting day," Blaise said, as they did the dishes.

"Quite, I learned a lot today about dear Hermione," said Pansy, grinning at Hermione evily.

"I learned about you lot as well," Hermione grinned back at Pansy. The boys were confused as the girls started laughing.

"Obviously you and I keep missing things Draco," Blaise said over their giggles, "well, I'm beat, I'm heading back for bed. Goodnight." Blaise walked out.

"I'd better go too, he doesn't have a key, and it's Addi's night off." Draco said, grabbing the stack of clean plates.

"I'll walk you out." Hermione said, going in front of him to the door.

"Tell Addi thanks for the dinner," she said as they paused by the door.

"Actually I made it, she left the ingredients though, so I'll thank her for that," They stood there and stared at each other for a moment, "Hermione, I want to thank you for giving Pansy a chance, it means a lot."

"It's no problem, I had a really great time today." They were starting to lean in closer to each other.

"I really do like your hair Hermione, it fits you better," he said in a husky tone. They were leaning in, inches from each other's faces. Hermione's heart was a flutter, he was about to kiss her, she had never been so excited for a kiss before. She could feel his warm breath across her face, and was surrounded by his woody smell. The moment was broken though, when he tried to lean in, but bumped the plates into the underside of her breast. The porcelain clacked, and they jumped back from each other, and he opened the door quickly.

"Goodnight then, Hermione," he said, before rushing across the hall, door shutting behind him. Once she was sure he was back inside his apartment, she screamed in frustration. Pansy ran out of the kitchen.

"What, what happened!?" She asked, worried.

"We almost kissed, but then the stupid fucking plates got in the way, and he ran away," she yelled, throwing herself on the couch, "damn virgins." She muttered into a pillow. Pansy started laughing, and joined Hermione on the couch, where they talked until they fell asleep.


	6. Ch 6 Solus

**Deep In the Heart**

 **ForestofRowan**

 **Chapter 6 Solus**

 **A/N Welcome back to my lair dear children. WARNING ON THIS CHAPTER! THERE IS SOME SMEXY STUFF, AND ALSO MENTION OF TORTURE! I'm in love with my beta, he is the best, and works really hard to fix my many problems, give him lots of love too! Please review, and spread the word about this story. Love y'all, Rowan.**

 **B/N Howdy everyone! First time writing a note. This chapter is my favorite thus far! Like Rowan said, there's some sexy scenes, and some mention of torture. All-in-all, I think y'all will love this one! Make sure to leave a review, and share the story with your friends! Rowan puts a HUGE amount of time into this, and it's awesome to see the support from y'all! Love y'all, thanks for reading! - Rou (beta)**

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own much of this...sucks…**

The girls were still asleep on the couch when there was a knock on her door, around noon. Hermione got up, pushing the heavy Pansy off to the side, and went to open the door. Outside stood Draco and Blaise, both dressed in suits, their robes slung over their arms. Blaise gave her a quick one-over, smirking at her disheveled appearance.

"Good morning, Beauty, where might the Beast be today?" He said, stepping into the apartment, and peaking around the side of the door. There came a loud groan of protest from the couch, and Pansy sat up gracefully, giving Blaise the bird.

"What do you two want?" She said, Draco and Blaise walking fully into the apartment.

"It's Monday, Pans, hurry up and get ready," Draco said, "I'm surprised you weren't up already."

"Shit, how late are we? Why didn't you come and get me earlier, you Blast-Ended-Skrewts?" She yelled loudly, jumping off of the couch and into her room. A few knocks, followed by a yelled, "Quiet down", came from the floor below.

"What's so important about Mondays? Where are you lot going?" Hermione asked, turning towards the boys. She and Draco made eye contact briefly before he looked away, and cleared his throat.

"I usually take them to see Mother when they come to visit." Draco said, picking up a pillow from the ground, setting it back on the couch.

"That's nice," Hermione shuffled her feet awkwardly, "Would you mind if I came along? I'd like to talk to talk to some of the Healers in your Mothers ward about what it is they are doing." Draco and Blaise glanced at each other, Hermione could tell they were worried about something.

"What?" She asked, turning the men's attentions back to her, breaking their silent conversation.

"It'd be best if you didn't, Hermione, she doesn't know you, and it could stress her out." Draco said slowly, choosing his words carefully. Pansy came out of her room, ready to go.

"What are we talking about?" She asked the group.

"Hermione wants to go with us, but she can't." Draco said, giving Pansy a look.

"Oh yeah," Pansy said, trying to play along, "because of the guest list, it takes time to get put on that. Maybe next time Hermione." Draco could see the annoyance growing on Hermione's face.

"Is that right?" she said, crossing her arms, and glaring at Draco, "why don't you want me to go? I won't even go into her room if it's such a problem. I just want to talk to the Healers."

"No, it's out of the question, you aren't coming Hermione." Draco said, turning towards the door. She thought for a few seconds before her face turned bright red in anger.

"You think I'll let the truth slip! You expect me to trust you, but you can't even trust me to keep my mouth shut? I said I wouldn't go into her room, Draco," she said in a low voice, trying to control her anger. Blaise looked worriedly to Draco, his face was a mix of anger and sadness at her words.

"You don't know what you're talking about Hermione, I'm sorry, but please don't ask again. You aren't coming, that's final." Draco said so quietly, that Hermione almost didn't hear him before he stalked out of the apartment. Pansy ran after him, calling his name. Hermione started to go after them, but Blaise threw out his arm, stopping her and shut the door with his foot.

"Give Pansy some time to calm him down, Hermione. Everything about this is fucked up, and he loses his head about it sometimes." Blaise said, sitting her down on the couch.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, looking at him crossly.

"That's not for me to say, and not for you to push. Let _him_ tell you on his own time." He told her.

They sat there silently, Hermione trying to calm herself down.

* * *

Across the hall, Draco was sitting on the couch fuming. Pansy, Addi, and Jean were sitting around him, waiting for him to speak.

"Draco, you need to tell her the truth, she isn't the kind of person who is satisfied not having an answer," Pansy said, "if you want to be her friend, there are somethings you have to let her know, Draco." He silently shook his head.

"Mister Draco, Miss Pansy is correct. Although, you don't have to tell her everything, just what she needs to know for now." Addi added.

"Right! You only have to tell her the basics, and say you don't want to get into it too much." Pansy said, leaning closer, and wrapping him in a hug.

"You can do it, Draco, this isn't even that big of a deal to tell her." She whispered in his ear before pulling away. He propped his elbows on his knees, and rested his face in his hands. Jean wiggled herself off Addi's head, onto Draco's shoulder, and started licking his cheek, purring. He gave a small smile, reached around, and brought her to his lap.

"Pansy, will you ask her to come over here? You stay over there with Blaise, and try to behave." Draco said, quietly. Pansy nodded, and headed over to the other apartment, leaving his door open.

"I'm proud of you, Mister Draco." Addi said, patting his knee, and going into her room. There was a light knock on the doorframe.

"Draco?" Hermione said, sticking her head into the room.

"Come in," he said, before scooting over on the couch, "please, sit down." She sat down slowly, and turned her body to him. As soon as Hermione was settled, Jean forced herself out of Draco's arms to sit in Hermione's lap.

"Jean is my middle name, you know?" Hermione said, after petting the small cat in silence for several minutes.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Hermione." He said quietly.

"What part are you sorry about? Lying, getting caught in the lie, or acting like you could make my decisions for me?" She said, starting to get annoyed again. Jean seemed to sense the shift in the air, and mewled softly, reminding Hermione what Pansy said to her in the hall.

 _"He has never talked to someone other than Blaise, and me about stuff like this. Be patient with our poor Dragon Boy" she gave Hermione a reassuring smile before going into 221A, and shutting the door behind her._

She took a calming breath, and signaled Draco to continue.

"I'm sorry for lying, and trying to make demands. I'm not apologizing because I was caught though." He said, looking her in the eye.

"It's alright, I should also apologize for jumping to conclusions," she blushed, "You were right, I don't know what is going on, and I shouldn't have assumed that I did."

"I can't truly accept your forgiveness until I at least tell you the truth." He paused, and took a deep breath, trying to steel himself. Hermione could tell he was struggling, so she scooted over, and put a reassuring hand on his arm. Jean, not liking the new position, got up and went to lay in her bed by the fire.

"I'd like you to tell me, but if you can't, I understand." She said.

"No, it's alright. So you know the basics of why my mother is in the hospital, and that she has no memory, other than what we have told her?" He asked.

"Right." Hermione replied.

"Well, there was a problem with that plan we didn't predict," another pause, and deep breath, returning his elbows to his knees, and resting his forehead in his hands "we didn't tell her about Lucius' involvement in the war or that we helped cause it. We told her it was Bellatrix's husband, Rodolphus, and not Lucius who did those things to us. She believes Lucius was killed by Rodolphus before taking the two of us. All of that resulted in her believing Lucius was still a loving, innocent man who was killed for no reason." He was starting to shake with rage, who it was aimed at, she wasn't sure. She scooted over closer, and pulled a hand away from his face, holding it between her own. She stroked the back of his hand lightly with her thumbs until he stopped shaking, but didn't let go. He looked up at her, and she gave him a small smile, which he took as his cue to continue.

"She has her own private ward in the hospital. The ward isn't too big, and everything is a short distance from each other. The lobby directly connects to a hallway with her room on one side, and the examination and lab room opposite. She would get very nervous when left alone in a room, and when going from one room to another. I had to stay with her almost all day, every day for a few months. Eventually, she asked me to commission several portraits, one for each room, and the hallway. I did, because I couldn't say no without telling her the truth. It's been good for her though, she doesn't have to have someone stay with her twenty-four-seven anymore."

"It's of Lucius." Hermione said, starting to understand.

"Yes. You see now why I couldn't let you come? He is horrible Hermione. When Mother is awake, he ignores me, Pansy, and Blaise if they're with me. When she is asleep though, he causes a ruckus. Says he will find a way to kill us all, calls us names, we've gotten to the point where it's just annoying now. But if you were to go with us, and he recognized you i-"

"It's been so long, there is little chance of him recognizing me. Even so, what if I don't care what he would call me? I've heard it all before." She interrupted him.

"It's not just that Hermione. I know you could handle it, but once he knows what you can handle, he finds something you can't. If he recognized you, he could possibly say or do something that could be detrimental to Mother's health."

"No offense, Draco, but he is a portrait, there isn't much he could do."

"When we first got here, he was able to convince a Healer to try to kill me when I came in to visit one day. He admitted it to me after, but I wasn't able to prove it. Please, Hermione, he is capable of a lot of horrible things, and I don't want to put you at risk." Hermione looked into his eyes and saw concern, desperation, and anger.

"Fine, I won't go, and I won't ask again, just please don't try to lie to me again."

"I won't, especially with Pansy around, she is the worst liar ever." He said, making Hermione swat him lightly on the arm. They stood up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him in for a hug, which he returned. After a minute or so, he started to pull away, but his face lingered near hers. He leaned in, so close to kissing her. Hermione's heart was pounding, the excitement returning. The door across the hall opened, causing Draco and Hermione to jump back from one another.

"Hey, Draco, we probably need to get going." Blaise said, walking into the room, oblivious to what he had interrupted. Pansy was close behind him, _sorry,_ she mouthed to Hermione when she saw the annoyed look on her face. Draco, red faced, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and with a shout and _whoosh,_ he was gone. Blaise went shortly after him, giving Hermione a small wave before stepping through.

"I'm going to kill Blaise, Draco was about to fucking kiss me!" Hermione said to Pansy, who gave her a hug, and a small, sympathetic smile before going through.

Hermione trudged back to her apartment, and grudgingly returned to her book.

* * *

When Pansy stepped through to the hospital, Blaise was waiting for her by the hearth. Usually, Draco would go into the room first to wake his mother up, and tell her that they were there to see her. Seeing that Draco had already gone in, she turned to Blaise, furious. He started backing up slowly.

"Whoa, Pansy, what are you doing?" He asked, nervous about how angry she looked.

"You absolute wanker, Blaise," she said under her breath, "He was about to fucking kiss her when you barged in! If they keep getting interrupted, they'll lose interest in each other, assuming that it just isn't meant to be, and our plan will be ruined!" She slapped him hard on the arm.

"Ouch, Pans, I'm sorry, I didn't know," he rubbed his now sore arm, "I have an idea though!"  
"Oh really?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, really, and it may work," He said, grinning wickedly, "The plan is, we don't let them alone 'til Friday. Don't give them a chance to be alone, and 'almost kiss' again, we all stay together at all times. On top of them not getting interrupted, by the time Friday comes around, they will be so frustrated with us being around all the time."  
"I like the way you think Blaise that might actually work."

"What might actually work?" Draco asked from behind Pansy, making the duo jump.

"Draco! Don't sneak up on us like that! Is she ready to see us?" Pansy asked, obviously trying to dodge his question.

"Yes, she is ready, go on in." He eyed them suspiciously, deciding he would find out eventually anyway, and followed them to his mother's room. Narcissa was sitting up in bed, propped up by pillows. Pansy had just hugged his mother, and Blaise was moving in to do the same when Draco entered the room.

"Oh, I'm so glad the two of you are here to see me! Pansy, I swear you get more beautiful each time I see you. Do any of you need anything? Food, something to drink? Please, sit down, all of you. I'm sorry that you have to deal with these dreadful chairs, Draco still won't allow me to ask for more comfortable ones." Narcissa fussed.

"Narcissa, we're fine, please, don't worry. The chairs are fine." Pansy said, patting her on the hand. They arranged their chairs so that Pansy was closest to Narcissa's head, Blaise at her feet, and Draco between the two. Once they were settled, Narcissa gave Draco a disapproving look.

"Aren't you going to say hello to your Father Draco?" She asked him. Draco reluctantly looked towards Lucius' portrait.

"Hello Father, didn't know you were in, sorry." Draco said tightly. Lucius just rolled his eyes at him, and turned his head away from the group. Narcissa didn't seem to notice the terseness of their exchange, and smiled at the trio.

"Pansy, dear, how is your business going?" Narcissa asked.

"It's going alright, still no interesting projects." Pansy said, and Narcissa gave her a sympathetic look.

"How about for you, Blaise?" Narcissa asked, turning her attention to Blaise.

"Can't complain." He said, shrugging.

"The two of you are so dull, why do I always have to pry the answers out of you," Narcissa scolded, "How are things, really, what's new?" Draco smirked, this happened every time they visited, and they never learned.

"Sorry, Narcissa," Pansy said, "honestly, the business is going well, people are buying what I'm selling, but it's so dull. There is so much I want to do with the business, but if I did, we would flop."

"I'm sorry, Pansy dear, perhaps if you moved from Paris, things would pick up? The fashion scene here is much more progressive than it is in Paris." Narcissa said, again, something she brought up every time they visited.

"You know I'd love to, but there are just too many variables. Finding a good shop location is hard, and my business is already popular in Paris. If I came here, I would have to start all over! I'd be sleeping in my shop because I would be too broke from the move, and the new business permit to pay for a place to live."

"Oh stop, you're just making silly excuses. If you came here, you would be able to keep Draco busy, so that he isn't lounging around here all day. And I'm sure Draco wouldn't mind letting you stay with him. Isn't that right, Draco?" Draco simply rolled his eyes, and thought to himself, _do these women always have to start the visit with the same damn conversation?_

"Right Mother, of course Pansy could stay with me." He drawled.

"I'm sure Her-Her…Herly wouldn't mind if you stayed with her either." Blaise said, starting off strong, and ending nervously. His mother's eyebrows shot up, and she gazed at the trio, taking account of the nervous glares Pansy and Draco were shooting at Blaise.

"Who is this Herly?" Narcissa asked, suspicious, Lucius had turned his attention to the group.

"Now, now Narcissa, don't be foolish. Obviously Herly doesn't exist, they're is trying to cover for something. Care to share, Mr. Zabini?" Lucius sneered from above Blaise's head.

"No sir, we aren't trying to cover up anything. Herly is Draco's new neighbor across the hall. We only met her yesterday, and she took a great liking to Pansy, wouldn't leave her alone. Pansy ended up being forced to spend the night with her. I was trying to make a joke about it but I'd forgotten her name." Blaise lied flawlessly, keeping eye contact with Lucius the whole time.

"Likely." Lucius scoffed before turning his attention away from them, once again. They all breathed a silent sigh of relief over Blaise's quick thinking, and turned back to Narcissa.

"New neighbor, huh? What's she like?" Narcissa asked. Before Draco could speak Pansy jumped in.

"I personally liked her! She had a lot of spirit, very intelligent."

"Very pretty, too." Blaise interjected.

"Well, she sounds wonderful, what do you think of her, Draco?" Narcissa asked, all faces turned to him, minus Lucius.

"She is becoming a really good friend, she and I have really started to connect," his mother's eyes started to brighten with excitement, "Don't get your hopes up, Mother, neither of us are looking for a relationship. Even so, I doubt she would be interested in me." He said, trying not to sound too dejected.

"That's what you think." Pansy muttered quietly under her breath. Draco thought he heard what she said, but figured he had heard wrong.

"What was that dear?" Narcissa said, leaning in closer to Pansy.

"I'd have to find a new ice rink!" Pansy said, panicking.

"Ice…rink?" Narcissa asked slowly.

"Yes, if I moved here, I'd have to find a new ice rink! I've been taking lessons back home, and I'd hate to give it up." Pansy giggled, nervously.

"Pansy dear, surely that isn't truly a reason that is holding you back?" Narcissa asked, shaking her head. They stayed for another hour, Narcissa and Pansy fighting back and forth about Pansy's possible relocation. Narcissa eventually yawned, interrupting what Pansy was saying.

"My dear, I hate to stop you, but I'm quite tired. I appreciate you two coming to visit me, take good care of Draco for me." She reached out her arms, each of them giving her a hug and kiss, saying their goodbyes.

"Oh, do come visit more often." Narcissa said, waving.

"Oh, _please do._ " Lucius said sarcastically from the wall.

"You know, your mother was right, Draco. There really isn't a good reason for me not to move, and no reason not to move here." Pansy said as they walked through the lobby.

"Really, Pans?" Draco asked, the men stopped walking, and turned towards her. She rolled her eyes, and kept pushing them towards the floo.

"I didn't say I was going to, at least not for awhile! I'd still have to find a shop, and place to live here first."

"I think it'd be a brilliant idea, Pans, and you really could stay with me if you did." Draco said once they stepped through the floo.

"What's going on?" Hermione said, walking out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Mother has managed to convince Pansy it would be beneficial to move to Texas. What are you doing here, Hermione?" Draco said loosening his tie.

"That would be brilliant, Pansy, you should do it! And Addi came over and asked if I would help make lunch. Now, go and change into something comfortable." She tossed Pansy her keyring, and went back to the kitchen.

"I think Herly is getting _too_ used to us." Blaise said, laughing as they all went off to their separate rooms to change. Blaise was the first into the kitchen after changing, then Pansy, then Draco came in slowly.

"Draco, are you alright?" Hermione asked him when he sat roughly at the table.

"He will be fine, he just gets to be a grumpy dragon when he visits on an empty stomach." Pansy said, as if she were talking to a baby.

"Shut up, Pansy." Draco said, glaring at his smirking best friend, who simply stuck her tongue out at him.

"So, did everything go alright?" Hermione asked, as she and Addi placed the food on the table.

"It went fine," Draco muttered, "except Blaise almost outed you." A guilty look crossed the man's face.

"Sorry about that, I did cover it up though," Blaise said, grabbing a burger, and shoveling fries onto his plate, "If anyone asks, Hermione, your name is Herly." That caused Draco to chuckle softly.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"The oaf started to say your name, but covered it up by calling you Herly." Pansy said, handing Blaise the ketchup.

"Ah." Hermione said, and they all dug into their food. Addi finished first, and excused herself, saying she had some chores to do.

"So, Pansy, are you really thinking about moving to Texas?" Hermione asked, as they finished eating.

"Yeah, I think I am. Business would be so much better here, I could actually produce the designs I want to. The problem is finding a new place to stay, and a new store, I just don't know if it's worth it." Pansy said, sighing. Blaise started shifting in his seat uncomfortably.

"What's wrong, Blaise?" Hermione asked, worried that he was about to get sick.

"Pans, can I talk to you in the living room for a moment?" He asked, staring at his lap.

"No, I'd rather not leave, we're all friends, I'd rather not _leave them_ here wondering what's wrong." she said, smiling sweetly, trying to get him to remember the plan they had made. He caught on, and grudgingly turned his chair to hers, not making eye contact.

"Pans, I've done something that will probably make you angry with me. If you feel so inclined, you can reimburse me, but I'd rather you just accept it as an early birthday gift," she opened her mouth to interrupt, and he shook his head, "Yes, I know your birthday isn't for another two months. I bought this awhile back, and I think it's time I gave it to you." He reached for something in his pocket.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, narrowing her eyes menacingly to the man.

"If you think I'm proposing to you, don't get your knickers in a twist, Pans." he said, causing her to give a sigh of relief. He pulled out his hand, and in it hung a small ring, with two brass keys. Her eyes widened, and she stared at the keys.

"What did you do?" She asked, breathlessly.

"You know that building on the corner that has been empty for about a year?" He asked.

"Yeah." Pansy said, hesitantly.

"I bought that for you when you started talking about moving to Texas. The bottom space has a business expansion permit, and the top space has a living expansion permit. That way, you can make your store as big as you need, and live as largely as you desire on top of it." Finally, he looked up, and saw she had tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Blaise." Pansy almost sobbed before lunging out of her chair, and tackling Blaise out of his chair, and onto the ground. Hermione and Draco simultaneously shot out of their chairs, and rushed to the other side of the table. They half expected to see Pansy beating up the bigger man, but were relieved to see that she was clinging to him in a tight hug, and sobbing.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She repeated, over and over into his chest. Hermione could feel tears welling up, hoping that this would mean good things for the pair. Draco slid his arm around her shoulder, and leaned over to her ear.

"Let's give them a minute." He whispered, and started guiding her out of the kitchen.

"No you two don't," Pansy sniffled from the floor, "Blaise, help me up, we're going to go visit this new store of mine." She rolled off of Blaise, and he helped her up, handing her the keys.

"We'll have to walk there, I didn't set up a floo. I figured you would want to do that yourself." Blaise said.

"That reminds me, you two need to set up an apparition point." Pansy scolded.

"We can do that when we get downstairs. All we have to do is tell them where we want it." Draco said as they walked out of the apartment towards the elevator.

"Wait," Hermione said, as Draco went to push the button, "we're all wearing pajamas." Everyone looked down, surveying their cottons and flannels. Draco shrugged, and pushed the button.

"The place isn't far, and it's not like there will be other people in the building." He said as the doors slid open. The whole ride down, Pansy bounced up and down excitedly, causing the elevator to bounce with her, and make Hermione a little green around the gills. The doors opened again, and Hermione gratefully stepped out onto the solid ground. Draco put a hand on her back, and led her to the desk.

As soon as Andi saw Draco, she sat up, ramrod straight.

"Howdy." She said, voice shaking a little, staring intensely at Hermione, to avoid making eye contact with Draco.

"Good afternoon, Andi," Draco said smoothly, "Ms. Granger and I would like to set up an apparition point in our hall, between our two front doors."

"S-sure." She squeaked, pulling out a small piece of paper. She scribbled something on it, and when she finished, the paper vanished.

"All done, a-anything else?" She asked, returning the intense glare to Hermione.

"That is all, thank you, Andi." Hermione said, giving the young girl a sympathetic smile. They turned away from the desk, almost pushed by the girl's sigh of relief.

"I wish she would top acting that way around me." Draco said quietly as they walked to the doors.

"She has a crush, Draco." Hermione giggled.

"But she doesn't stand a chance." Draco said, seriously, looking Hermione directly in the eye. Hermione gulped, and Blaise and Pansy rejoined them. The group walked out of the building, instantly regretting their choice of attire. They had forgotten about the July heat in Texas. They moved as quickly as they could down the street, passing only a few buildings before reaching an empty one. Pansy fumbled slightly with the keys, finally getting the door open. They all rushed into the cool building, using their wands to try and cool off. Once they stopped panting, they looked around the room.

It was decently sized, with a back office, and workroom off to the sides. Pansy grabbed Hermione's hand, and pulled her into the office and up the stairs.

"Good move, Blaise." Draco said.

"She is so wonderful Draco, I don't think it will ever work though." Blaise moaned, and Draco clapped a hand to his shoulder sympathetically, and led him into the office after the girls. The space upstairs had a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living room, but Pansy couldn't have been happier. When Blaise appeared at the top of the stairs, she ran towards him, and gave him another huge hug.

"When can I move in?" She asked excitedly.

"Whenever you want, I figure you'll want some time to figure things out in Paris first though." He said, chuckling at her enthusiasm. They stayed a little bit longer before apparating back to the apartments.

"So, what now?" Pansy asked, as they stood around in the hall.

"I don't quite feel like doing much today." Draco admitted.

"We could all go over to my place and watch movies." Hermione suggested. They all shrugged and headed into her apartment. Hermione put in David Bowie's Labyrinth, and pressed play before sitting on the couch between the arm and Pansy. It ended up that they didn't want to do much the whole week, and spent each day watching movies together. Pansy and Blaise managed to keep them apart for the week. One of them would squeeze themselves between the pair if they tried to sit together, and would always find and excuse to be in the room. Finally, on Friday morning, as they sat down to watch Golden Girls, again, Pansy sighed loudly.

"You okay Pans?" Draco asked.

"I'm fine." She replied tightly. A few minutes later, she sighed again.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm just a bit bored. We've done nothing but sit around all week, can we go out tonight? Please?" She begged, pouting childishly.

"Pans, all you had to do was ask." Draco said, rolling his eyes. Pansy jumped up off of the couch, and squealed.

"Good, I already made reservations at Dahlia's under your name." Pansy said, grinning triumphantly. Draco rolled his eyes again, and Blaise shook his head grinning.

"Of course you did." Draco chuckled.

"What's Dahlia's?" Hermione asked.

"It's a new and extremely nice wizarding restaurant a few blocks away from here." Draco replied, trying to see her around Blaise's large chest.

"Which means we need to go shopping to get you something to wear." Pansy said excitedly.

"But we just went shopping!" Hermione objected.

"Yes, but you need something a little bit more formal." Pansy said, grabbing Hermione's hands, and pulling her up off the couch.

"Okay then, bye guys." Hermione said, as Pansy pulled her to the hallway. Hermione let them into the apartment, and they quickly changed into street clothes, and apparated to downtown. Hermione was almost positive that Pansy took her to almost every store in the state of Texas. They would walk in, Pansy would look around briefly, and walk them right back out.

"Pansy? Care to explain your method here?" Hermione said, as they walked to the next store.

"Nope, just trust me." Pansy said, opening the door and walking in. To Hermione's relief, Pansy started going through the aisles, looking intensely through the dresses. Hermione wandered down another aisle, and something caught her eye. Amidst all of the silks and jewel encrusted gowns, hung something different. The dress was long and strapless, dark purple and white tool formed a tight top wrap, that lost tension and flowed freely as it went down where it pooled slightly to the ground. She turned it to look at the back, instead of a zipper or buttons, it tied like a corset down the back.

"Hey Pans, come look at this." Hermione called over the rack. Pansy came over, took the dress off the rack, and held it up to eye-level, inspecting it closely.

"Hermione, you should come work for me, you've got one hell of an eye," Pansy said, handing Hermione the dress, "Now, go try it on." Hermione walked to the small changing stall, and ditched her clothes once inside. She carefully stepped into the dress, being cautious of the delicate silk slip that lined the inside. Once she pulled it up all the way, she gripped it to her chest, and walked out for Pansy to tie her in. Once she finished, Hermione walked over to the mirror, and inspected herself. She was surprised at how well it actually fit. The low cut accented her shoulders, and gave off enough cleavage to make her feel modestly sexy.

"I don't think anyone could pull of this dress as well as you." Pansy said from behind, smiling at her in the mirror. Hermione smiled back, and went back to change again.

"What shoe size do you wear, Hermione?" Pansy asked, once Hermione came out to put on her shoes.

"Here, I think it's a six and a half." Hermione answered.

"Good, I have the pair of shoes for you in my room already. Unless you want to do more shopping today?" Pansy teased.

"No thank you, let's just pay and head back home." Hermione said, and they headed to the check-out counter. They apparated back to the apartment, careful not to jostle the garment bag Hermione held delicately in her arms. After they deposited the bag on Hermione's bed, they headed back to Draco's apartment, where they had a quick lunch.

"So, what time is the reservation, Pans?" Draco asked, as they cleaned up after lunch.

"Six o'clock, so we should leave a few minutes before then," She answered, and looked up at the clock with a gasp, "It's already three! If both of us are going to be ready by six, Hermione, we have to go now. Sorry about the dishes boys, we'll see you later." Pansy grabbed Hermione, and pulled her running out of the apartment.

"Women." Blaise said under his breath shaking his head.

* * *

Pansy led them into her room, and pushed Hermione into a chair in the bathroom. For the next hour and a half she expertly applied makeup to Hermione's face.

"Go put on your dress, and we will finish the makeup. Don't look in any mirrors, it's cheating." Pansy instructed, stepping back and viewing her masterpiece.

"There is more?" Hermione muttered as she walked out to get her dress. She pulled it out of the bag, and slipped it on, careful not to get any makeup on it. Picking up the extra material, she walked back into Pansy's room, where the other girl tied it again.

"Hold still," Pansy told Hermione, as she applied plum lipstick, "Now the makeup is done." Hermione was about to turn to look at herself again, but Pansy stopped her.

"Wait to look until you're completely done." Pansy rushed to her closet, and pulled out a pair of metallic gold high heels, the height of which wouldn't kill Hermione. She handed Hermione the shoes, and as she put them on, Pansy dug through a jewelry box. Deep purple garnet earrings were applied to her ears. A long, thin, gold chain with a snake pendant around her neck, and delicate gold bracelets to her wrists.

"Now look." Pansy said, grinning proudly. Hermione turned to the mirror, and could hardly recognize herself. Shimmery gold and purple eye shadow covered her eyelids, paired with dark eyeliner that swept off to the sides, giving Hermione a dramatic gaze under her dark eyelashes. Hermione's hair was tousled, and stood out fashionably in random places. The gold jewelry accented the deep purples perfectly. The necklace was just low enough for the snake to rest between her breasts. The shoes lifted her off the ground enough that the dress no longer pooled around her, but brushed the ground lightly. Pansy then handed her a small, gold purse, big enough for her wand, and keys.

"Holy shit, Pansy." Hermione breathed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm terrific, I know," Pansy said, flipping her hair and giggling, "Now shoo, I have to get ready."

"Yes ma'am." Hermione said, bustling out the door. Before she shut it, she turned to her friend, "Thank you, Pansy." Pansy blushed deeply, and continued to shoo her from the room. Hermione sat cautiously on the couch, and picked up her book. Five fifty rolled around, and Hermione put down her book.

"Pansy, are you ready to go?" Hermione called from the living room.

"No, my hair is giving me some problems. Why don't you see if the boys are ready? I'll meet you there." The girl called out.

"You sure? I'm sure they won't mind waiting."

"Yes, I'm sure! Someone needs to make sure we keep our reservation! Fucking hair!" Pansy yelled.

"Okay, see you there." Hermione said. She grabbed her bag off the couch, and headed out the front door. Just as she was closing her door, Draco opened his, and walked into the hall. He closed it behind him, and turned to her confused.

"Where is Pansy?" He asked.

"Her hair is giving her some trouble, she said she would meet us there," she noticed he was alone too, "Where is Blaise?" She asked.

"He had to call someone at his office. There was apparently a problem with an employee or something." He replied.

"Well, I guess the two of us should just go ahead then." Hermione said, stepping closer to him.

"Guess so." He said, linking arms with hers so he could apparate them to Dahlia's. They arrived outside, and he continued to hold onto her arm.

"I just realized, this is the first time we have been alone this week." He said, smiling down to her.

"Mmm." She smiled back, and they walked arm-in-arm into the restaurant. The decor was simple reds and browns mixed together to create a comfortable environment.

"May I help you?" Asked a suited man from behind his podium.

"Yes, we have a reservation for Malfoy." Draco told the man.

"Ah yes, if you will follow this young lady, she will take you to your table." The man said, signaling them towards the girl, and turning his attention to a couple who had just entered. The girl silently led them to a small table, handed them menus, and returned to the front. Draco pulled Hermione's chair out for her with a bow before going to the other side, and sitting down.

"May I get you two something to drink?" Asked the waiter, who came over once they were settled. He was about eighteen, and looked miserable.

"Water for me." Hermione said.

"Same for me." Draco told the man, who nodded, and walked away.

"Do you want to wait for them to show up to order?" Draco asked, picking up his menu.

"That would be polite," Hermione answered, picking up her own menu, "But it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and decide what we want." He chuckled, and nodded in agreement. The waiter returned with their water.

"Are you ready to order?" The waiter asked them, sounding bored.

"We are going to wait for the rest of our group." Hermione said, smiling at the man.

"Alright. We do have a policy that if they don't show up within thirty minutes, they can't join." He tersely turned, and walked away.

"Someone doesn't enjoy it here." Hermione giggled.

"Would you? Serving tables doesn't seem like much of a job." Draco said quietly.

"I actually served tables in the summers while we were at school. It wasn't that bad, sometimes you got a mean customer, but all they could do was say rude things." Hermione told him.

"I'm sure you were fairly used to hearing rude things by then." He said chuckling.

"A little bit." She agreed. They studied their menus for a bit longer, before Draco's phone went off.

"It's Blaise," he told her before answering, "Hey, you on your way? Oh alright then, see you later." He hung up the phone.

"Everything alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, he is fine. The business thing is going to take longer than he thought, and Pansy is staying with him to make sure he doesn't break anything." He told her, looking grudgingly at his phone before slipping it into his pocket.

"Do you think that's really what's going on?"

"Maybe, but they probably just got distracted, and decided not to come." He said, sipping his water.

"Hopefully they got distracted together then." Hermione said scoffing.

"So, you know about them?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, Pansy told me everything when we went shopping earlier this week." Hermione said.

"I hope they are distracted together. Pansy needs to get over herself, and just marry the guy already."

"She has her reasons, Draco." Hermione insisted.

"I know, but it's still frustrating," Draco glanced down at their menus, "are you ready to order?" She nodded, and Draco signaled their waiter from the wall.

"The rest of our party had to cancel, but we're ready to order." Draco told the young man, who pulled out a pad and quill, and turned to Hermione.

"I'll have the baked chicken and zucchini please." She said, and the pen scratched her order, and he turned to Draco

"Sea Bass special for me." Draco said. The boy took their menus, and walked to the kitchen. Draco took another sip of water, and surveyed Hermione over the rim of the glass.

"I don't know if I've said it or not, but you look absolutely stunning tonight." He said, putting down the glass.

"Thank you, Draco." She said, blushing.

"Not that you don't always look stunning, because you do, but this is different." He rushed to add.

"Its fine Draco, I know what you meant. Thank you either way," she inspected his dark suit and neat hair, "You look quite good yourself, although I do prefer your day hair over this." She giggled when he reached up to pat his solid hair before looking her over again, eyes lingering on her breasts, and what hung between them.

"Interesting choice of jewelry." He said huskily. Before Hermione could reply, their waiter came back to the table with their food. He put down their plates, and left without uttering a word.

"Oh." Draco said, as he surveyed the food on his plate.

"Maybe Blaise and Pansy stayed in because they wanted real food." Hermione giggled. Each of their plates had a small square of their protein, on top of one or two bits of a vegetable.

"At least it looks nice." Draco said, fitting it all on the fork, and finishing it off in one bite. Hermione did the same, and they chewed in silence for a moment. When they finished, they pensively looked at their empty plates.

"Well, it tasted good." Hermione tried to say enthusiastically.

"Yes, it did," Draco said, trying just as hard, "Do you want to go make nachos?" He asked.

"That sounds wonderful." Hermione sighed in relief. Draco signaled the waiter again.

"Could we please have our check?" Draco asked politely.

"Yeah." He walked towards another man, who was about their age, and handed him the check, and he walked over to their table.

"Howdy you two, I'm Seth, I handle all of the payment. If you have a Gringotts card, I can swipe it here." He told them enthusiastically. Draco handed him the card, and as he swiped it, he turned to Hermione. Once he saw her though, he stopped what he was doing, and kept staring. He looked her up and down, biting his lip, and Hermione knew he was undressing her with his eyes. She squirmed uncomfortably, and wished she had something to cover up with. Draco cleared his throat, and Seth jumped, quickly swiped the card, and handed it back to Draco.

"Thank you, come on Hermione." Draco said, his face hard. They stood up, and Draco put his arm around her waist, holding her close.

"Draco, are you alright?" Hermione asked, as they weaved through the tables.

"He shouldn't look at you like that, Hermione," He grumbled, "I almost hit him."

"You should have." Hermione muttered, too quiet for him to hear. They reached the front, and Draco went to the podium.

"I would suggest you do something about Seth over there before he gets arrested for sexual assault." Draco said through a fake smile.

"I assure you, we will, you aren't the first complaint, but you are the last. I'm sorry for not properly dealing with it sooner." The man said, his face growing red with embarrassment and anger. Draco tersely nodded, and led Hermione outside.

"Wait, Mr. Malfoy, a note arrived for you a moment ago." The man said following them outside and, holding out a folded piece of parchment. Draco turned back, and took it from him curiously. Draco unfolded it, and Hermione pressed herself to his back, waiting to read over his shoulder.

 _Draco and Hermione,_

 _We aren't sorry to do this, just sorry we didn't tell you about it. If you are reading this, we have successfully managed to send you two on your first date! It's obvious to everyone, but the two of you, that you should be together. Draco, you like Hermione. Hermione, you like Draco. There is nothing holding the two of you back, so we decided enough was enough, and we took your fates into our own hands. We love you two, and just want you to be happy. We hope you had a good time, please, don't be angry with us._

 _Pansy and Blaise_

 _P.S We will be in Hermione's apartment so have as much sex as you want in Draco's_

Hermione stepped back from Draco, not sure whether to laugh, or cry. Slowly he turned around to face her, crushing the parchment in his hand, embarrassment obvious on his face.

"Erm." he started, and then cleared his throat, not sure what to say.

"Let's go back and talk about it later." Hermione suggested.

"Good idea, I need nachos, and time to process." Draco said, apparating them to the hallway.

Hermione silently agreed, as Draco let them into his apartment. They went into the kitchen, and he pulled out the supplies. In silence, they piled loads of cheese, meat, beans, peppers, and onions onto a pan of chips.

"I should go change into something that isn't this." Hermione said awkwardly, as Draco put the nachos in the oven.

"Same. Would you send Blaise over here for a minute? I'd like to speak to him." He asked, as he walked with her to the hallway.

"Yeah, see you in a minute then." She said before unlocking her door and walking in, leaving the door open behind her. She walked in, and Pansy and Blaise's heads snapped up. Pansy muted the movie they were watching, and slowly stood up.

"Blaise, I'm going to deal with Pansy in here, Draco would like to deal with you over there. Go." The large man hopped up, and ran away from the small woman's fiery glare. As soon as he was out her door, Hermione's angry face fell into one of humored annoyance.

"Now, Pansy, that wasn't a nice thing of you to do to us." Pansy giggled.

"Ah come on, you're glad we did. Something had to be done, you know it!" Pansy said, grinning triumphantly when Hermione nodded in reply.

"Something needed to be done, but there had to have been other ways to do it!"

"It was the best option we came up with. We had to use the week to let the two of you stew, not being able to be together alone, so when you were forced to be alone, it would be a relief. Wait, why are you over here, and not over there?" Pansy started to push her towards the door.

"Pans, stop, I just came here to change clothes!" Pansy stopped pushing her, and Hermione walked towards her bedroom laughing.

"In case you didn't notice, I'm still wearing my evening gown, and makeup." She came back out a few minutes later, wearing flannel PJ bottoms, and a large white t-shirt. She was wiping off her makeup and she sat down on the couch.

"So, tell me, what did I miss?" Pansy said excitedly, sitting down next to her.

"Not much, we got there, talked a bit, got Blaise's call, ordered, ate, talked, left, got the note, and here we are. The food was in such a small portion, and I'm starving. But there are nachos in the oven right now, so time for me to go." She and Pansy stood up, and walked to the door.

"So that's it? You two haven't kissed? Has he asked you out yet?" Pansy said, as Hermione turned the knob to open the door.

"Goodnight, Pansy, see you in the morning." Hermione said, winking, and tossing Pansy her makeup wipe as she walked through the door. Pansy watched as she knocked on Draco's door, and Blaise opened it, patting her on the head, and wishing her a goodnight. She disappeared through 221B's closed door, and Blaise walked past Pansy, and into Hermione's apartment.

"So?" Pansy asked.

"Draco was mad at me, but said he was glad we did it. How about you?"

"Same on this end. Our plan worked!" Pansy giggled, as Blaise swooped her into a hug, swinging her in a circle. After a few rotations, he put her down, and stared down at her smiling face. He looked closely into her eyes, and saw something that surprised him, she had left her guard down, and he could see love in her eyes. Without even thinking, he bent down, and gently kissed her. What surprised him even more, was that she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him in closer, returning the kiss. He reached up, and placed his hand on the back of her head, deepening the kiss. It became more heated, their tongues sliding together, and their lips growing red from the biting. Eventually pulling away, both of them breathing heavily.

"Wha-" Blaise started, but Pansy put a finger over his lips.

"I was afraid that being with you would mean I'm just useful to society as your wife. That's all I'm supposed to be, but I know that I'm more than that, but it still scared me. But you bought me a place to live and work, and I realized you actually care about what I want to be as a person. Plus, seeing Draco and Hermione forget about their pasts together to possibly form a better one makes me want to do the same. I'm tired of pretending and coming up with excuses because I was scared. I love you Blaise, I have for a while, but I couldn't bring myself to tell you. But I love you so much, I'm so sorry that I ever made you feel I didn't." She was close to tears, and she brought her hands to cover her face. She felt Blaise pulling them off though.

"Marry me?" Blaise asked, when she nodded tearfully, he leaned in to kiss her again. It was soft, and gentle, but so intense Pansy could feel it down to her toes. They kissed like that for what felt like hours, 'til Pansy couldn't stand it anymore. She groaned in annoyance, and bit Blaise's bottom lip. Blaise growled, and pushed her roughly against the door, pressing their bodies firmly together. Without breaking the kiss, Pansy wrapped one arm around his neck, and with the other, pushed him back enough to jump up, and wrap her legs around his waist. He reached down, and grabbed her ass, pulling her closer to him.

"Bedroom. Now." She gasped out, grinding against his arousal. He only grunted a reply, and carried her off to her bedroom, slamming the door shut with his foot as he went.

* * *

Hermione walked back into 221B, and shut the door behind her. She inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of nachos that was permeating the air. She followed the smell into the kitchen, where Draco was pulling their dinner out of the oven in his own PJs.

"That smells so good." Hermione sighed, grabbing two plates from the cabinet. Draco just hummed in agreement, and split it evenly, shoveling each half onto a plate.

"Salsa and sour cream?" He asked, walking to the fridge.

"Yes, please." She waited patiently as he put each in a bowl, paired with spoons. He picked up the plates, and she grabbed the bowls, and they headed into the living room. They sat on either side of the couch, and dug in. The only words they spoke were to ask for either the salsa or sour cream. Hermione got up to take the dirty dishes to the kitchen, but Draco stopped her.

"Leave them." Draco told her, so she put them on the coffee table, and sat back down.

"So, what now?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

"I don't know, I've never done this before." Draco said

"What do you mean?" She asked, wondering why his face was getting red.

"I've never had feelings for anyone before." He admitted quietly.

"Pansy said you were a virgin, but I didn't think it was because you didn't want to." Hermione said, without thinking. Draco slid down onto the floor, and hid his face in his hands.

"God dammit, Pansy." He muttered to himself. Hermione slid down next to him.

"If it makes you feel any better, I practically am too. I've only had sex a few times, and it was awful each time." She said trying to look at his face through his hands.

"Doesn't make me feel better, it's nice to know though," He said, lifting his head to look at her, "at least I won't have anything to live up to."

"Exactly!" She agreed.

"I think we're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves though." Draco said with a chuckle.

"So where does that put us, Draco?" Hermione asked, resting her chin on her knees.

"Well, the letter didn't lie, I really do like you Hermione." He turned towards her, crossing his legs.

"And I do like you, Draco." Hermione said, doing the same.

"Well then." He said, and started to lean in to kiss her. At that moment, Addi came out of her room swinging the door open loudly, causing Draco and Hermione to jump.

"Merlin's beard. Come on, Hermione." Draco growled before standing, and pulling Hermione with him.

"Addi, go ahead and take the night off." Draco said, grabbing Hermione's hand, and leading her to his room, shutting and locking the door behind them. The room was dark, with soft light filtering through the window. All she could make out was a bed to their right, and Draco's shadowy figure. He pulled her closer, holding their bodies together. He softly grabbed her chin, and tilted her face up to his.

"May I _please_ kiss you?" He whispered, his breath sweeping across Hermione's face, causing butterflies to erupt in her stomach. Hermione didn't reply, instead she moved closer, and touched her lips to his. He let go of her chin, and threaded his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer. He gently bit, her lip, and she groaned into his mouth. He pulled away, but reattached his lips to the base of her neck, sucking lightly, causing her breath to catch in her throat. He moved back to her mouth, and started moving them towards the bed. He lay down, and pulled her on top of him in a swift motion, that caused them to break the kiss.

"Wait, Draco, I'd rather we wait to do anything. It's too soon for us to consider stuff like that." Hermione said, panicking slightly, and rolling to lay next to him.

"I agree, I wasn't going to try anything, unless you wanted to," he said chuckling, "tell me a secret, something about you that no one knows." Draco said, leaning over her, and whispering loudly.

"What kind of secret? Embarrassing or serious?" She asked, whispering loudly back. He lay back down, and hummed, thinking.

"Both. Embarrassing first." He finally said, grinning.

"Fine, but if I do, you have to tell me one of each too. Deal?" She stuck out her right hand.

"Deal." He shook her hand firmly.

"Okay, so fourth year, my date to the Yule Ball was Viktor Krum. Ron and I got in a fight at the end of the night, and I was crying on the stairs. Viktor came and found me, and carried me to the library which was unlocked and empty. He carried me all the way to the back, and we started making out in one of the chairs. At one point he lifted my skirt, and took of my underwear. He took one look at me, muttered _tova e, I'm gay,_ put my underwear back on me, and just left me there."

"Oh, that's awful." Draco said, trying hard not to laugh at her.

"It gets worse," she groaned, "I was so stunned, that I stayed there until he came back with Ernie Macmillan."

"Oh-no," Draco said, and pat her head, "I wouldn't have left you."

"Thanks." She scoffed.

"Now, for serous." He said.

"I would be a Healer right now, but Ron convinced me to not pursue it. It was stupid, but I thought I was in love." She said, shrugging.

"Why don't you start now?" He asked.

"I am, in a way. I'm working at the bookstore, and reading as much as I can about healing before I actually give it a go." She explained.

"Mmm…typical." He said, before kissing her for a few more minutes.

"Your turn, but before you start, I already know about the time Pansy and Addi dressed you up." Hermione said, stifling a giggle at the returning mental image.

"Pink," He smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, "that makes sense now, I was wondering what had the two of you laughing so hard."

"Sorry," she giggled, "Pick something else."

"Alright, well, my parents put me in a Wizarding preschool when I was young. It was hard for me, because I was so used to being the center of attention all the time at home."

"That's a surprise, you? Being the center of attention? I'd have never guessed." Hermione said in fake astonishment.

"Shut up," he said, lightly bumping their shoulders together, "I had been there two weeks the first time my magic showed itself. I had to go to the bathroom very badly, but the teacher wasn't paying attention to me so that I could ask for her to take me. I finally was so fed up with being ignored, I started screaming, and my magic lashed out. It caused all the kids in the room's trousers and diapers fall to the ground, mine included. My teacher's whole skirt came down, she hadn't even been wearing underwear! Everyone turned to look at me, and I weed all over myself."

"Oh my god." Hermione muttered, she gave him a sideways glance, and started laughing.

"I..c-can't believe you w-weed yourself!" Hermione gasped, clutching her sides. Draco joined in her laughter.

"I got nervous!" He said laughing. That made Hermione laugh even harder, and soon they were both laughing so hard, their downstairs neighbor knocked from below, and yelled for them to shut up. After several minutes, they calmed down, and started to catch their breaths.

"That was terrific, Draco," Hermione said, wiping one last tear from her eye, "But, now it's time for serious." He thought for a few minutes.

"I was almost turned into a werewolf by Fenrir Greyback before our sixth year." He said somberly.

"What!" She yelled, causing the person to knock again, this time violently.

"What?!" Hermione said again, quieter this time.

"Voldemort ordered Fenrir to bite me the summer between fifth and sixth year. He came into my bedroom one night while I was asleep, and bound me to the bed. He woke me up, and told me of the order, and that there was no way to stop him. Instead of biting me though, he pulled out a knife, cut my left forearm, then healed me," Draco held up his arm where there was a long thin scar, "he made me take an unbreakable vow, so that I could never tell Voldemort, or someone who would tell Voldemort, any story other than he bled into me instead of biting me. Before he left, he told me that his loyalties were with Lucius much more so than they were with Voldemort. I had to pretend that I was a werewolf from there on out, and I never had to take the mark because of it."

"But why did he order Greyback to do that?" Hermione asked, horrified, flipping to her side to face him.

"After Lucius' failure in the Hall of Prophecies our fifth year, Voldemort was furious. It wasn't the first mistake Lucius had made. Giving up hope when he died the first time, giving Ginny the diary, they all led up to the breaking point. Lucius was a failure, and Voldemort made me pay the price."

"You say Voldemort without flinching, but you can hardly say Lucius' name. Draco? What did he do to you? You don't have to tell me now, I can wait 'til you're ready." She said, stroking his cheek lightly, her eyes pleading, but his were closed.

"I'll tell you." He said, before taking a deep breath and starting. Hermione listened attentively the whole time he spoke. When he got to the part about the raid, Hermione made him stop. They both had tears rolling down their cheeks.

"I hate him so much, Hermione, he ruined our lives." Draco said thickly. Hermione leaned over him, and kissed him.

"Draco, I promise, I will do whatever I can to help your mother. I'll even pick up Healer training immediately if I have to. And I'll be here for you whenever you need me to be, you don't have to deal with this alone anymore." She said, her face determined.

"Thank you." He muttered. He then moved himself so his head was on his pillow, and motioned for Hermione to join him. She crawled over, and lay as close to him as she could. They held on tightly to each other, and he kissed the top of her head.

"Does this mean we're dating now?" Hermione asked.

"If you want it to." He responded

"Sounds good to me." Hermione said before yawning. They quickly fell asleep in the soft moonlight.

 **A/N 2: I got the werewolf theory from the SuperCarlinBrothers video called "Is Draco Malfoy a Werewolf?" Go check it out if you have a chance, its super interesting!**


	7. Ch 7 Minas Adversum Amicos

**Deep In the Heart**

 **ForestOfRowan**

 **Chapter 6.5 Minas Adversum Amicos**

 **A/N Oh my lord y'all I'm the worst, burn me at the stake! Going home for a few days was awesome and I'm going back next weekend for my favorite holiday, Halloween. That means I, again, don't know when I'll be able to conk out a new chapter! I have had so much to do this week for classes and I have been playing Legend of Zelda non-stop and I'm an awful human being! I still have a lot to do this weekend but I will try my hardest to work, I promise. I love you all so much, please forgive me of my wrong doings! This small bit takes place on the night that the last one took place.**

Ginny Potter shot upright in bed, startled by the thunderous knocks bouncing through the house from the front door.  
"Gin, open the fucking door goddammit." Ron's _sonorized_ voice rang in her ears.  
"Oh my god." Ginny growled, rolling out of bed and pulling on her robe. "Of course he does this on the night Harry is working late." Ginny muttered to herself as she ran towards the still banging and screaming door.  
"Aunt Ginny, what's going on? That isn't Ron is it?" Asked the terrified child, sticking his purple haired head out of his door.  
"Teddy, sweetie, I'm so sorry, but it is," Ginny said sympathetically, "but I promise, he won't come anywhere near you."  
"Ginny open up or I'll break down the door!" Ron screamed.  
"I don't like him, he scares me, Aunt Ginny." Teddy said, trying to hold back tears. Ginny's heart broke for the poor five year old. Poor thing had been terrified of Ron since the first time he saw him, when he was only a few months old.  
"He doesn't even know you're here. Just go back to bed sweetheart, I'll make him go away." Ginny reassured him, becoming more furious at her brother. As Teddy shut the door behind him, Ginny flew, furious, towards the door. She flung it open, wand raised and ready.  
"What, Ronald Weasley, what in Merlin's name would possess you to think that coming here in the middle of the night, and cursing, and yelling, and waking up my child was a good thing to do?" She growled.  
"Fire whiskey?" He slurred, holding up the, now, empty bottle. He tumbled into her briefly, before continuing on down the hall towards the living room. She shut the door, and followed angrily behind him.  
When she entered the room, he had thrown himself sloppily onto the couch, having deposited the bottle on the table by the door. As she walked to sit in the chair opposite, she pulled out her phone, and texted Harry _'we have a Ron related emergency here'._ She sat down, and looked at her brother. Now that he was inside the house, he had calmed down considerably. He looked towards her, and grinned stupidly.

"What do you want, Ronald?" She asked, crossing her arms, and glaring at him.

"I want her back, Gin! We are supposed to be together. I don't have anyone to do my laundry anymore either." He whined, flailing his hands, and scattering the magazines on the coffee table.

"Stop, you're being pathetic," Ginny snapped, pulling out her wand, and returning the magazines to their rightful positions, "Why are you here?"

"I can't find her, I've looked everywhere." he stood up and staggered over to her, sitting heavily in her lap.

"Ouch, Ron, you're hurting me." Ginny exclaimed, trying to squirm out from under him. He stuck his face close to hers, his eyes wild, and his breath reeking.

"You know where she is, Ginny, and I will do whatever it takes to get that information out of you," he spat, "I will find her, and I will bring her back to me whether she likes it, or not. She will never leave me again, she is mine." He then stood up, and stalked angrily out of the room. As the front door slammed, the floo whooshed, and Harry stepped through. He looked around panicked, and noticed Ginny cowering in the chair before running over to her.

"Are you okay? Are the boys alright? He didn't get around Teddy, right? What happened? Where is he? What did he do?" He asked, patting her all over to make sure she was okay.

"I'm fine, and so are the boys, James didn't even wake up, you know how he is. Ron was banging on the door and screaming, and it woke Teddy and me up, and I went to go see what he wanted. Teddy stopped me, and I promised him Ron wouldn't get to him. I let Ron in, and he was drunk, and he lay on the couch for a minute and complained about Hermione not being around, and then he got up and sat on me. He got in my face, and threatened me to tell him where Hermione is, and said he would find her. Then he left, and now you're here. He said when he finds her, he would not let her go, and I don't think he has good intentions, Harry." Ginny said, trying not to cry. She had never been scared of her brother before, but he seemed so serious, and she didn't want to know what he was planning. Harry pulled her into his arms, and held her tightly.

"It's okay love, it's okay. You're okay, and the boys are okay, and Hermione is okay." He murmured into her hair soothingly.

"But we don't know that she is okay," she said, pulling away from him, "She hasn't mailed me back in over a week, and I'm worried. What if something happened to her?"

"We're talking about the same Hermione, right? I'm positive that she is alright." He said, trying to calm her down.

"But you don't know that!" She protested.

"You're right, I don't know, but she does. It's only about six o'clock there right now, why don't you floo her? She is probably reading a book and forgetting to eat dinner." He said, hugging her again. Ginny sniffed and nodded before getting up, and going towards the fire place. She threw in the powder, and stuck in her head.

"Mione? Mione, are you there?" She called out into the empty apartment. She waited a few minutes, and Hermione didn't emerge. Ginny pulled her head out, and plopped onto the hearth, and looked desperately at Harry.

"No answer, oh Harry, something isn't right, and I can feel it." She said, close to tears again. She looked close at his face, and saw that he was trying to cover the fact he felt the same. Seeing that, she broke into tears. He came over, and sat next to her, and let her cry on his shoulder. After she calmed down and was reduced to simple blubbering, he turned to her.

"How about this, after we drop Teddy off at Andromeda's tomorrow, you, James, and I go to Dallas? It'll be fun, our first big vacation as a family! It'll be exciting, and James will love seeing Mione." He said, and let out a small sigh of relief when her face brightened at the idea.

"Really? Are you sure?" She asked excitedly.

"Of course!" He replied. She leaned forward, and hugged him tight, squealing with excitement, and kissed him hard.

"Let's get to bed then, we have a long day tomorrow!" Ginny said, jumping up, and pulling him with her, and running hand in hand up to their room.


	8. Ch 8 Amici Novi

Deep In the Heart

ForestOfRowan

Chapter 7 Amici Novi

 **A/N I'm back! Thank you for the continuing support, I love y'all. I absolutely loved writing this chapter so please enjoy. ALSO, HUGE NEWS I'M JUST SUPER EXCITED, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS TRAILER IS OUT AND I WATCHED IT ELEVEN DIFFERENT TIMES AND SOBBED EACH TIME!**

 **Disclaimer: If I had one wish, it would be to own Harry Potter, but I don't have a wish so I don't own Harry Potter.**

Hermione slowly opened her eyes to find Draco already awake and looking at her.

"Well, good morning." He said grinning, _scouring_ both of their mouths clean.

"Good morning, wee-wolf." Hermione grumbled sleepily.

"What did you just call me?" He asked incredulously. She sat up and stretched.

"Wee-wolf." She said casually, turning to face him. He looked at her, confused.

"Wee-wolf. It's a play on words from werewolf and wee, because you were almost a werewolf, and you wee'd yourself." She explained, giggling at the growing look of horror on his face.

"Merlin's Beard, Mione, you cannot call me that." He sat up next to her, a desperate and horrified look on his face.

"Awh, why not? I think it's cute." She said, grinning at him.

"Because, I don't want people finding out about either of those events." He pouted.

"What about in private?" She asked.

"No way, you might get into the habit and let it slip." He argued.

"Oh come on, wee-wolf, do you not trust me?" She teased, winking. He groaned and flopped back down into the pillows.

"Wee-wolf, I'm so funny." She giggled to herself, flopping down next to him.

"That's it." He exclaimed, and rolled over, and started tickling her.

"Promise me that you'll never call me wee-wolf again." He said over her loud peals of laughter.

"N-nev-ver." She gasped, trying to roll away from him. Just then, there was a knock at the door, making them stop.

"I'm sorry to interrupt…whatever it is that is going on in there, but Blaise and I need to leave soon so that we can start the whole moving thing." Pansy's voice came from the other side of the door.

"We'll be out in a minute, Pans." Draco called out before rolling out of bed. Hermione stretched, and followed. She leaned on the door as he made the bed. She watched as his lean form stretched, clothes riding up to show milky and muscular skin underneath. His hair was ruffled, and surrounded him like a messy halo. _I'm dating a god_.

"Oh my." She gasped, tensing and covering her mouth with her hands.

"What," Draco asked, concerned, rushing over to her, "What's wrong, Hermione?"

"I just remembered that we are technically a…couple…now, and it surprised me, that's all." She reassured him, and they both relaxed.

"Brightest witch of our age, my ass." He chuckled, embracing her.

"Shut up, I just forgot." She muttered into his chest.

"You _are_ alright with us being together though, right?" He asked hesitantly.

"Of course, I am," She exclaimed, pulling back to look at him, "it was just kind of sudden, and I'm so used to planning every little detail. I am more than alright with this, Draco." She smiled up at him, and saw his eyes light up a little bit.

"Good," he said, before leaning in and kissing her deeply, then grinning evilly, "that gives me time to plot how to get back at you for the whole wee-wolf thing then. We better get going, or Pansy is going to have a fit." He kissed her again before leading them out of his room, and across the hall to Hermione's apartment.

"Come on, Hermione, help me pack up my stuff. Boys, you go get all of Blaise's stuff. Meet back here in an hour." Pansy rushed out, grabbing Hermione's arm, and dragging her into her room seconds after they walked in. Pansy slammed the door shut behind them, and cast a silencing spell around the room.

"Pans, what's going on?" Hermione asked, concerned for her new friend's erratic behavior. In response, Pansy stuck her left hand out to Hermione excitedly. On her ring finger sat a large diamond ring. Hermione grabbed Pansy's hand, and pulled it close to her face.

"Oh my Merlin, Pansy, that's massive!" Hermione whispered, and then looked up at her friend's face to see tears in her eyes. Hermione quickly put her arm around Pansy's shoulders, and led her to sit on the end of the bed.

"What's wrong, Pansy? He didn't force you into this, did he?" Hermione asked angrily.

"No, oh Merlin, not at all," Pansy protested, "I'm just excited, that's all, Hermione. Blaise and I are getting married." Hermione could feel tears welling up in her own eyes now at the excitement on Pansy's face. They threw their arms around each other, and shared a moment of excited, yet tearful, squeals and giggles. They separated, and wiped their eyes.

"So, what happened last night?" Hermione asked.

"Well, you left to go to Draco's, and I kissed Blaise." Pansy said, examining her nails.

"Pansy Parkinson, don't do this to me! Don't stop there." Hermione said when Pansy didn't continue. Pansy sighed, as if it was an inconvenience.

"Well, if you insist. So, I kissed him, and told him that I loved him, and about why I had been so resistant. He proposed, I said yes, and we came in here and had sex for most of the night." Pansy explained, as if she was explaining a trip to the supermarket.

"Oh, Pansy, I'm so happy for- ew. Pans, you could have told me that before I sat down!" Hermione yelped, leaping off the bed.

"Calm down, you prude, I changed the bedding to something I found in your linen closet." Pansy said, rolling her eyes, and patting the bed for Hermione to return.

"Now, tell me about your night." She instructed once Hermione had sat back down.

"Well...erm…" Hermione started uncomfortably.

"Come on, Hermione! I'm dying to know!" Pansy said, bouncing up and down.

"Fine. So I went over to his place, and we ate nachos on the couch, and talked. I told him you told me he was a virgin, but that he had nothing to live up to anyway. We said we liked each other, and were about to kiss, when Addi walked into the room. Draco jumped up, and dragged me into his bedroom, and kissed me. Somehow, we ended up on the bed, don't get too excited though, we didn't do anything. We decided we would rather take our time with this." Hermione said.

"So? What did you two do all night then? And does 'this' mean what I think it means?" Pansy said, grabbing Hermione's hands and squeezing them tightly.

"We talked. I'm sworn to secrecy on most of it, but he told me about what happened with his father." Hermione explained.

"Oh, poor Draco, I'm glad he could finally get it off his chest," Pansy sighed before looking intently at Hermione, "Seriously though, are the two of you a thing now? If not, you two owe Blaise and I, because we put a lot of effort into setting the two of you up!"

"Yes, Pansy, Draco and I decided to give being together a shot." Hermione said, and quickly covered her ears to protect them against Pansy's piercing shrieks of excitement. Pansy pulled Hermione into a tight hug, which Hermione returned.

"I'm so excited for the two of you! Just remember, he can be sensitive," Pansy sighed dreamily, "Look at all of us. Making big steps to move our lives forward."

"Don't we have a job we're supposed to be doing?" Hermione asked after a few minutes.

"Oh yeah," Pansy giggled. They got up and pulled out their wands, putting clothes into respective suitcases.

"Are you worried about how your friends will react to all of this?" Pansy asked as she sat on a stuffed case, trying to close it.

"I hadn't even thought about it." Hermione admitted, guiltily, starting to panic a little. _Holy shit, I'd completely forgotten about them._

"You okay?" Pansy asked.

"I'm fine, I may not be for long though. I've been so busy with you lot, that I haven't written Ginny back in over a week. She is probably freaking out!" Hermione explained.

"I'm sure she is fine." Pansy said, trying to reassure Hermione.

"If only." Hermione harrumphed. Pansy rolled her eyes, and returned her attention to her bulging suit case.

"Stupid thing!" She yelled, before getting on top of it, and trying to jump it down.

"Pansy, stop, you'll break it," Hermione laughed, "Why don't you just cast an expansion charm on it? You are a witch, you know?" Pansy shot a death glare in Hermione's direction.

"I would if I could, Hermione, but I can't, so I won't." Pansy huffed, still jumping on the lid, causing the sides to strain.

"Pansy, get down, I can do it for you!" Hermione said, grabbing Pansy's arm and pulling her off of the suit case.

"No, Hermione. If I can't cast the spell by myself, then I don't deserve the luxury of having it a part of my life due to someone else casting it." Pansy crossed her arms across her chest defensively.

"Where did you get that idea from?" Hermione asked.

"It's something my parents taught me when I was first starting to learn magic. Being able to do things for myself, and not being spoiled, and what not." Pansy explained.

"Makes sense, I guess, we don't need _two_ Dracos running around." Hermione giggled.

"That's how his parents raised him, as well. In fact, most wizarding families raise their children that way. The only thing Draco's parents ever diverted from that for was quidditch." Pansy said, sitting on the suitcase again.

"Huh, wonder why I've never heard of that until now." Hermione said quietly to herself.

"It's pretty much unspoken, like don't talk with your mouth full. Either way, I could never master practical charms like this," Pansy shrugged, "I've just learned to stuff a lot of things into small spaces." She giggled at her double entendre, and resumed trying to zip the bag.

"Okay, if you won't let _me_ cast the spell, how about I teach you how to do it?" Hermione asked, pulling out her wand.

"You can try, doubt it will do much though, dear." Pansy said, pulling out her own wand, and sliding to the floor next to the bag. Hermione confidently sat down next to her, and started the lesson.

That's where Blaise and Draco found them fifteen minutes later, sitting on the floor, wands out surrounded by the army of suit cases. Pansy noticed them enter, and jumped up excited, and rushed to them, stopping inches in front of them.

"I did it! Hermione taught me how to do it, and now I can!" Pansy squealed excitedly.

"Whoa, back up, what did she teach you to do, Pans?" Draco asked, putting his hands on her shoulders to stop her rapid bouncing.

"I'll show you!" She said, grabbing the boy's hands, and leading them to where Hermione was still seated, grinning proudly.

"What is that?" Draco yelled, running over and grabbing Pansy's hand up to his face, pulling her up in the process.

"Feel." She instructed, pointing to the suitcase Hermione was holding slightly open. Draco and Blaise gave each other a wary glance, but at Hermione's reassuring nod, they got on their knees.

"Three…" Draco started.

"…Two…" Blaise continued.

"One!" They said together, sticking their right hands into the opening. Both of them lost their balance, and fell forward, having expected the bottom of the suitcase to be there to catch them. They were shoulder deep before either of them felt the soft brush of folded clothes at the bottom.

"All of my clothes that I brought, and bought, are in there, with room to spare." Pansy informed them proudly.

"How?" Blaise asked, looking mesmerized between the two girls.

"Well, first I had to help her get a grasp on the expansion charm." Hermione started to explain.

"Then once I had that down, she showed me how to enlarge the actual suitcase the tiniest bits, until the inside could also be expanded enough to fit everything inside," Pansy jumped in, "We shrunk my shoes, and the bigger clothes, and there is still room in there to put my shrunken suitcases! Isn't this exciting?" Pansy pulled out her wand, and with a newfound confidence, shrunk the empty suitcases, and then delicately placing them inside the larger one. As Pansy was pulling the zipper closed, Draco noticed something on Pansy's hand.

"What is that?" He asked pointing.

"It's a ring, Draco." Pansy said, as if she was speaking to a child.

"But…what is it?" He asked, looking suspiciously back and forth between Pansy and Blaise.

"Don't be daft, Draco, it's obviously an engagement ring." Pansy said, rolling her eyes.

"When?" He asked.

"Last night, while you and Hermione were snogging. Congratulations on the new girlfriend by the way, Dragon Boy." Pansy said nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The two men asked simultaneously to each other.

"I figured she would mention it." They said, again in unison, pointing to their respective partners. Hermione giggled, and Pansy rolled her eyes at the men.

"Congratulations." Hermione said, walking over to Blaise, and wrapping him into a hug which he tightly returned.

"Only one week ago, you thought I was an enemy, look at us now." He chuckled as they separated.

"Don't get too comfortable with me, you might make your new fiance jealous." Hermione joked, winking at him.

"Well, I guess we're done here then." Pansy said, shrinking her remaining bag, and walking into the living room. Once they were all out the door, Draco turned around, and transported the room's decorations back into storage. He was about to transport the mattress, when Hermione stopped him.

"Can I keep that in here?" She asked him quietly.

"Sure, but why?" He asked, lowering his wand and shutting the door.

"I don't know exactly why, but I feel like having a place for people here will make me feel less alone. I may be by myself, but there is always a chance for someone to drop in." She explained.

"Seems perfectly reasonable to me." He said, pulling her closer, and kissing the top of her head. When they turned around, Blaise and Pansy were giving each other a high five. At Draco and Hermione's curious gaze, Blaise shrugged.

"Our plan worked, can't blame us for being excited about it." He said, and Pansy giggled.

"As much as I would like to sit around and chat about how happy I am for you two, we need to go." Pansy said, before giving a tight hug to both Draco and Hermione.

"We will be back soon, don't miss us too much while we're gone." Pansy said, giving a small wave, as she and Blaise headed through the floo. As soon as the green flames subsided, Hermione turned to Draco.

"I'm pretty sure that this isn't what you say on the first day of a relationship, but please leave. It has been a very long week, and I need a shower, and some time alone. I brought a book home from work, and I've hardly even started it." She sighed.

"I understand," Draco chuckled, "When you've recharged your batteries, you know where to find me." He kissed her lightly before heading out the door back to his own apartment.

Hermione sighed, and dropped down onto the couch. She breathed as quietly as she could, relishing in the silence. After several minutes, she sat up and reached for her book. An hour, and several chapters later, Hermione stretched and stood up.

"I'm going to have to ask to keep this for a bit longer." She said, inspecting the book that she hadn't even finished a quarter way. She shrugged, and put it back on its spot on the table. Hermione pulled out her wand, and started the shower. Stretching again, she headed towards her bathroom, shedding her clothes. By the time she opened the door, steam had filled the room. Hermione stepped into the water, and sighed contently. All week, she had been forced to rush her shower, so as to get back to whatever activity they were doing that day.

This time, she took as long as she could. By the time she was done washing off, the water was starting to run cold. She quickly dried off, and wrapped her hair in a towel, and donned her robe. As she walked into her bedroom to grab clothes, she heard the floo whoosh.

"What'd you forget?" She called out, as she walked back into the living room, figuring Pansy or Blaise were returning.

"Aunt Mione!" Someone screamed, before crashing roughly into her legs, almost knocking her over.

"J-James?" She stammered, confused.

"James, be careful, we don't want to break her," James stepped away to bounce in place, "Who did you think was coming through?" Ginny asked, grinning broadly, and stepping forward to crush the air out of Hermione in a hug.

"My boss just stopped by to give me a few books," Hermione lied quickly, "What are you doing here?"

"Mommy was worried, so we gotsted a maycation." James said, hugging Hermione's legs again.

"Vacation, sweetheart," She instructed the child, "You weren't writing me back." Ginny shrugged.

"What's for lunch? I'm starving." Came a voice, soon followed by a body from the floo.

"Harry!" Hermione gushed, running over to her best friend, holding back tears as she almost tackled him to the ground. She didn't realize how much she missed Harry until then. They swayed, holding each other tightly, Hermione trying not to cry. After a few minutes they stepped back from each other.

"Careful, Mione, I only need to see my wife naked." Harry said looking away from her.

"Wha- Oh!" Hermione said, quickly adjusting her robe back to cover her.

"Seriously though, Hermione, I'm starving." Harry complained in a begging voice.

"Yeah, starving." James mimicked coming to stand next to his father.

"Don't be rude, I could have sworn I taught you two better." Ginny berated the pair.

"Yes ma'am." The duo said, lowering their heads ashamed, before looking at each other and giggling.

"I have things for sandwiches." Hermione said, motioning towards the kitchen.

"Ham and cheese please, with the crust," James said enthusiastically, "I'm a big boy now, Aunt Mione!" He ran off towards the kitchen, followed closely by Ginny.

"Come on, Mione." Harry said, leading them towards the kitchen.

"Hold on, I just remembered I need to take out the trash, right now in fact." Hermione said, stopping them.

"I'll take it out for you after lunch." He said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"No, I need to do it now." She insisted.

"Why?" He asked, suspicious.

"I was trying to avoid mentioning it, but if you insist. My bathroom trashcan is full of tampons, Harry." She pleaded awkwardly.

"Oh." Was all Harry said, before stiffly marching into the kitchen.

"Some things never change." She muttered to herself, before heading back into her bathroom. Hermione picked the empty trash bag out of the bin, and rushed out into the hallway. She knocked rapidly on Draco's door until he opened it.

"That's an interesting outfit, thought we decided on taking this slow though." Draco smirked, looking her up and down, leaning against the door frame.

"Very funny, Draco," Hermione rolled her eyes, "They showed up right as I finished showering, but think I'm taking out the trash, so I don't have much time to explain. H-"

"What's going on, are you okay?" He interjected, concern evident on his face.

"I'm fine, Draco. Harry and Ginny just showed up, I don't know why, but they are. I don't know how long they will be here, but I need you to keep a low profile until I say otherwise. I intend on telling them about us, but I need time to think of a way without them freaking out." She explained quickly.

"Alright, I'll try. Good luck." He said, still confused.

"I understand just about as much as you do at this point." Hermione said, before kissing his cheek, handing him the empty bag, and darting back to her apartment. Once inside she breathed a sigh of relief. _When did I get so good at lying?_ She thought, and mentally patted herself on the back for her success at avoiding a catastrophe.

"Mione, we aren't going to start without you." Ginny called from the kitchen.

"I'm going to put on some clothes, please don't wait on me." Hermione called back, before heading into her bedroom one more time. She quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and joined her friends in the kitchen. Harry and James were already half done with their sandwiches by the time Hermione walked in. Ginny had her back to the door, and was making a sandwich for Hermione.

"Turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard, no cheese, just how you like it," Ginny said, grinning at Hermione, "It's really good to see you, Hermione."

"Good to see you too, Ginny." Hermione grinned back, and the pair joined the boys at the table.

"Sorry for dropping in like this, Mione, would it be too much trouble if we stayed for the week?" Harry apologized, and asked after finishing his last bite.

"Don't worry about it, I'm glad you did. And stay as long as you want! I will have work, but I'm sure my boss would be okay with me leaving early. I've missed you three so much. I'm sorry I forgot to write you Gin, I got busy with work, and it slipped my mind." Hermione explained.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're okay." Ginny said.

"Why would I not be okay?" Hermione chuckled.

"This is boring, Aunt Mione, why is your head wrappeded up in a towel?" James asked innocently.

"I forgot it was, thank you for reminding me James." Hermione replied, reaching up and pulling the towel off, and draping it over the back of the chair. When she turned around, all jaws were dropped.

"Your hair." Ginny whispered.

"Do you not like it," Hermione asked concerned, "I just felt like it was time for a change. New life, new me type of thing. If it looks bad, it'll grow back eventually."

"It looks awesome, Aunt Mione, you look like a movie star!" James said in awe.

"I'm with James on this, Mione." Harry said, smiling at her.

"It just surprised us, she does look like a movie star, James." Ginny said, nodding to her son.

"Good." Hermione sighed. Ginny and Hermione turned back to their food, as James told Hermione about how excited he was to start preschool again.

"Hermione, will you show Harry where we can put our stuff? James and I will clean up in here." Ginny said once they were all finished.

"Alright, come on Harry." Hermione said, and the pair stood up, and Hermione showed him the guest room.

"It's like you were expecting us." Harry said, pulling a few bags from his pocket, and putting them on the bed.

"You know me, always prepared," Hermione said, "Harry, what's going on? Why are you lot here?" Harry took a deep breath, shut the door, and sat down on the bed. She joined him, worried about what he was going to tell her.

"It's about Ron. He showed up at the house last night, and scared Ginny half to death. She was already nervous about you not writing back, and then she tried to floo you, and you didn't answer. Once she gets started, there is no stopping her, and she insisted on making sure you were alright." Harry explained.

"What did Ron do?" Hermione asked, scared about what Ron could have done to scare his own sister so badly.

"He came to the house, drunk, and woke her up. Then he basically threatened her for information about where you were." Harry said.

"I knew this would happen, I'm so sorry, Harry." Hermione started to tear up.

"Mione, please calm down, everything is okay. Ron is too much of a coward to act on anything. He is only a danger to himself at this point. He won't find you, Mione." Harry said, trying to calm her down.

"I know, Harry. Plus, I'd be more worried about Ron's safety if he did manage to find me here." Hermione chuckled, thinking about the immense pleasure her new friends, and boyfriend, would get from enacting revenge on the Weasley.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.

"Oh, just that, erm, at this point I'm done with running, and I'd be ready to fight back…" Hermione said, hesitantly, her lie meter running low for the day.

"That's the Hermione I know and love." Harry said hugging her.

"Aunt Mione, can I has a sleep over in your room? Mommy snores." James said, running into the room, and jumping onto the bed.

"Sure, kiddo, but you better not let your mother hear you say that." Hermione said, tickling the boy.

"Not let his mother hear what?" Ginny asked over her sons shrieks of laughter.

"Nothing." They all three chorused together. The rest of the day was spent talking, and watching movies. The fun ended early when James, exhausted from the excitement of the day, started getting sleepy. They said their goodnights, and Hermione carried the young boy off to her room.

"Aunt Mione?" James said, as Hermione tucked them into bed.

"Yes?" She replied.

"You seem more happy, do you like it here better than back home?" He asked sleepily.

"Not at all, because here doesn't have you, but I've made some really good friends. They have made sure I wasn't alone, and they protect me, and they help me be more happy. Not nearly as much as you do though," She kissed his nose, making him giggle, "I have a secret, James, I like someone." She told him. He let out a small gasp.

"Like like? Like how you like liked Uncle Ron?" He whispered.

"Much more than I liked your Uncle Ron. This guy makes me very happy, and I hope you get to meet him soon. It has to be our little secret though, James, okay?" She asked him.

"Okay, Aunt Mione!" He yawned, and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

The next afternoon, Hermione was awoken by the smell of pancakes, and an elbow to her stomach.

"Breakfast." James yelled, hopping out of bed, pulling a sleepy Hermione with him to the kitchen. Harry and Ginny were waiting for them, and together, the group plowed through large quantities of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and hashbrowns.

"Where did you get all of this, Ginny?" Hermione asked as they relocated to the living room.

"I noticed yesterday that your fridge was pretty much empty, so I may or may not have gone shopping and filled it for you this morning. I had time, since you two slept all day." Ginny said coyly. After a few minutes of silence, James sat up.

"It's my turn to pick the movie!" He proclaimed, and walked to the cabinet to pick one out.

"It was my turn." Harry grumbled.

"Harry Potter, you selfish child." Hermione swatted his arm playfully.

"What's selfish?" James asked over his shoulder.

"It's when someone won't share with others." Ginny explained.

"Ohhh, I thought it was a type of candy." James said casually. The adults chuckled, and James turned around, movie in hand. Hermione got up to take it from him and turn it on. It was David Bowie's _Labyrinth_ , Hermione excitedly put it on. Out of the Potter Trio, Hermione couldn't tell who was the most mesmerized by the glitter and goblins. As the credits rolled, James started yawning.

"Nap time." Ginny said, picking him up. He slouched against his mother's shoulder.

"Aunt Mione, will you come and nap with me?" He mumbled.

"Of course." Hermione replied. As Ginny carried James to Hermione's room, he mumbled _Chilly Down_ under his breath. Ginny came back out, and cast a silencing charm around the room.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about what to get him for Christmas." Ginny said, sitting back on the couch. Over the next few hours, they caught Hermione up on everything she had been missing at home. At one point, Ginny got up to start on dinner. As soon as she came back, there was a knock at the door.

"I got it." Hermione said, getting up, and rushing to the door. She meant to open it only a crack, and pass it off as maintenance or something. As soon as the door opened the slightest, Pansy pushed her way in, followed closely by a worried Draco and Blaise.

"We're back!" Pansy announced with a flourish and sparkle from her wand, not noticing the other occupants in the room. Harry and Ginny jumped up off the couch in an instant, wands drawn. Harry had put himself in front of Ginny, and was slowly backing them closer to the wall.

"Hermione get back!" Harry yelled loudly, causing tapping from below.

"This isn't happening." Hermione groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Hermione, come on!" Ginny yelled, followed by more tapping from the room below.

"What's going on?" Pansy asked Hermione nervously.

"Who sent you here? What do you want?" Harry growled.

"I fucked up didn't I? I'm so sorry." Pansy whispered to Hermione.

"Please go with Blaise, and wait across the hall." Hermione whispered. Pansy nodded, and guided Blaise back.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry, she just ran out, they caught me completely by surprise, I didn't think they were coming until later." Draco said, rushing forward, and putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't you dare fucking touch her! _Expelliarmus_!" Harry yelled at Draco, narrowly hitting him with the spell.

"What the fuck, Potter?" Draco yelled back. _Tap tap tap tap._

"Don't speak to me, get away from her, and I'll consider not hurting you." Harry yelled again.

"Excuse me?" Draco yelled, starting to walk towards Harry. _Tap tap tap tap tap tap._

"Harry, Draco, stop it, you don't know what you're doing." Hermione pleaded, Draco turned to her.

"How did they even get through? Surely you're not stupid enough to have free access from their house to your floo?" He yelled at her.

"Before I left, I enchanted a charm on Ginny's bracelet, so that she would be able to get through any floo that I allow that charm access to," She yelled back angrily, "Don't you dare call me stupid, Draco Malfoy, or this relationship will be over sooner than it started." Draco became paler than usual, and Harry's face seemed to take on all the color.

"What does she mean by that," He growled, looking venomously at Draco, "what did you to her, ferret?"

"What have you done to her? Imperius Curse? Love potion? Spit it out you pig! How dare you!" Ginny shrieked before running forward, and slapping Draco. The lady down stairs had seemingly given up on the tapping. Draco rubbed his stinging cheek, but stayed quiet figuring Ginny needed to get it out of her system before they could civilly talk.

"Aunt Mione?" Came James' voice from the doorway. All eyes snapped to the small boy.

"James, go back into the room, Aunt Mione will be there in a minute." Harry said, trying to cover the fear and anger in his voice.

"Aunt Mione, I thought you were going to take a nap with me? Who is this?" James asked, ignoring his dad, and walking over to Hermione. He grabbed her hand, and hid behind her legs, peaking around at Draco shyly.

"Why did Mommy slap that man, did he say a naughty word," James whispered very loudly, "When Daddy does it, she usually just stomps on his foot really hard." Hermione couldn't stop the snort of laughter that forced itself from her at Harry's beet red face. "Why does Mommy think something is wrong with you, Aunt Mione? I think you look fine!" James let go of Hermione, and started over to Draco who squatted down to the boy's level.

"James come here," Ginny said, panicked, "Harry do something!"

"Mister, you shouldn't say mean words, it's not nice. You should say sorry to Mommy." James instructed, arms crossed, and face determined.

"I think that's a very good idea, James," Draco said seriously, before turning his attention to Ginny, "I am very sorry if I have offended you in any way, Ginny. It was far from my intention, and I regret it immensely." Ginny would have growled, if James didn't start speaking again.

"That sounded really good, even if I didn't understand all of the words." James whispered loudly into Draco's ear.

"Thank you." Draco whispered back. Then James surprised everyone by planting a big kiss on Draco's cheek.

"There, all better. No more naughty words, Mister, I don't think a kiss can cure the second one," James said intently, and turned to Ginny, "Now it's your turn to apologize, Mommy."

"James, I'm not going to do that." Ginny said, her voice shaking with anger and embarrassment.

"You always say that I need to apologize when I'm mean to someone. Slapping isn't nice, Mommy, even if he did say a naughty word." James told her.

"James, no, now come here." Ginny demanded.

"James, it's alright if she doesn't apologize. I deserved that slap." Draco said.

"Why?" James asked, confused.

"You see, I used to go to school with your Mommy and Daddy, and Aunt Hermione. I wasn't a very nice person back then though, and I did some really bad things. That's why I deserve the slap. I think it's perfectly fine for your Mommy and Daddy to not like me for who I used to be." Draco explained to the small child.

"So you used to be a bad guy?" James asked wide eyed.

"Yes he used to be a bad guy, but he is a really good guy now," Hermione said, kneeling down next to Draco, "He has changed a lot since school, and I forgave him for all the mean things he said and did."

"Is this the secret guy that you like like more than Uncle Ron?" James asked, his eyes growing large.

"Yes, James, it is." Hermione said, smiling at Draco, who was starting to blush a little bit.

"Then Mommy has to say sorry, because you said he and his friends made you happy again. And I want you to be happy, and I want Mommy and Daddy to be happy, and I want Drago and his friends to be happy, that would make _me_ happy. But no one can be happy if people don't say sorry," James said, starting to tear up, "Mommy, say sorry so that Aunt Mione doesn't have to be sad anymore." Then the flood gates opened, and James started to sob. Ginny and Harry rushed over, and Ginny scooped her son into her arms, trying to calm him down. Draco and Hermione stood up, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I didn't realize he noticed that much, I tried to be as happy as possible around him, but I couldn't." She said, trying not to cry herself.

"He is a kid, they notice everything, whether you want them to, or not, or how hard you try and hide it." Draco said, rubbing Hermione's arm.

"You were really good with him, I'm surprised he even came up to you in the first place. He is extremely shy, especially around adults." Hermione said, surprised.

"I've always been good with kids, it's a gift." He said, shrugging

"Hmm." She hummed.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. I just got scared at the thought of Ron getting through somehow." Draco whispered to her.

"It's alright, I understand." She whispered back, and wrapped her arm around his waist. They stood there, and waited as James stopped crying.

"Draco, I'm sorry I slapped you, and that I accused you of hurting Hermione." Ginny grumbled, sitting down on the couch.

"I'm sorry I tried to hit you with that spell. I am willing to give you a shot because Hermione trusts you, and my son seems to like you." Harry said, offering his hand to Draco.

"Thanks, Potter." He said, shaking Harry's hand.

"I'm going to go get Pansy and Blaise, she is probably in hysterics right now." Hermione said, walking out the door, and knocking on Draco's.

"You can come out now." She called in. Pansy opened the door, and she and Blaise shuffled out.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, I didn't mean to cause trouble, I just got really excited." Pansy said, wringing her hands.

"It's alright Pans, this was probably the best way for this to happen." Hermione said, smiling at her. She grabbed her hand, and led the duo back to her apartment. Pansy walked in, and stood in front of the fire place.

"I would like to apologize for earlier. I scared the two of you, and caused everyone to fight, and I didn't mean to." Pansy said, head down.

"It's alright, Pansy." Harry said, nodding awkwardly.

"Pansy," James sniffed, "Like the flower?"

"Exactly like the flower…small…mini Potter?" Pansy said, thrown off by the extreme resemblance of the two.

"Pansy, this is James. James, this is Pansy, Blaise, and Draco." Hermione said, pointing to each respectively.

"Hello, you're nice to Aunt Mione." He said, matter-of-factley.

"We try to be." Draco said, putting his arm around Hermione's shoulders again.

"So, you two really are together then." Harry said, astounded.

"Sorry." Hermione shrugged.

"As long as you're happy, I don't care." Harry said with a grin.

"Mommy, I'm hungry." James said, causing everyone to notice their empty stomachs.

"Would you three like to stay for dinner?" Ginny asked hesitantly, and James turned to them with excited eyes.

"If there is enough food for all of us. It smells wonderful." Draco said.

"I always make too much. When the woman teaching you to cook has a family of eight, it becomes a habit to make too much." Ginny gave him a small smile, and headed to the kitchen, James trailing close behind.

"Blaise, are you alright?" Hermione asked noticing his somber demeanor.

"I was forced to pack Pansy's whole house and store, I'm tired." He grumbled.

"Come and eat, then we will all call it an early night." Hermione said, patting his arm.

"I can't believe all of this is happening." Harry said, shaking his head in disbelief, and walking into the kitchen.


	9. Ch 9 Maiore Auxilio

**Deep In the Heart**

 **ForestOfRowan**

 **Chapter 9 Maiore Auxilio**

 **A/N This is kind of a long A/N so I'm very sorry! I want to start off by saying thank you so much for the support. Your messages mean so much to me. So just an update, I think we figured out what was happening. I was getting really bad migraines, starting off small about a month ago. Nothing seemed to cause them but only too much movement of my head made it worse. Over the month of November, they got extremely bad to the point I would almost pass out. I went to clinics and they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then last week I got a really bad upper respiratory infection. Sinuses, lungs, ears, the whole shebang. I went back to the clinic and they gave me a crap load of antibiotics, decongestants and cough syrup. I took all the meds that I was supposed to and now I'm feeling ridiculously better! No more headaches, and now I'm back to work. Again, thank you all so much for being patient and giving me your support, y'all are seriously the best! Most of this chapter was written through fever and medicine haze though so, deal with it. Also, I made a twitter (ForestOfRowan) so that I can update y'all a bit easier.**

 **Disclaimer: I may have hallucinated briefly that I owned Harry Potter but to my utter dismay, it is not true. THERE IS SMEXY STUFF HERE, IT'S PRETTY FAR IN AND I WILL MARK IT WHEN IT HAPPENS, YOU WERE WARNED.**

Dinner that night turned out to be pretty pleasant. James insisted on siting between Draco and Blaise, babbling incessantly at them about his favorite toys and movies. The adults hardly had a chance to get a word in through the whole meal as James shared his whole, albeit short, life story. Everyone was grinning by the time desert was served. Ginny and Harry's worry about the Slytherin trio slowly diminished seeing how comfortable their son was around them.

Hermione eventually managed to distract him by asking about how his Gamma Molly was. Taking note of the diverted attention, Harry took the opportunity to question the trio.

"So, Malfoy, you live across the hall then?" Harry asked him, not sure what else to bring up.

"Yep, moved here as soon as I had an opportunity." Draco replied, suppressing a jab about the laughable question.

"And you two are here because…?" Harry asked trailing off.

"Starting a business and moving into a building down the street." Pansy explained.

"What is it that you do?" Ginny questioned.

"Fashion design. I used to have a shop in Paris but I'm almost certain I'll do much better here." Pansy answered a wistful look in her eyes.

"Do either of you work? Or are you living off of an inheritance large enough to feed a whole city?" Harry asked unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"Harry James Potter, you know better than to speak to people that way," Hermione chided, "and don't you forget that you inherited the whole Potter fortune yourself. Now apologize."

"Oooohhhh." James whispered under his breath as Harry's face turned bright red.

"Hermione, there is really no need for that." Draco said putting a hand on her arm.

"Yes, there is. You are all guests in my home and I will not tolerate people misbehaving." Hermione said with finality.

"Merlin save her future children if they misbehave." Blaise muttered to Pansy causing her to giggle. Hermione flashed them a heated look, causing them to hang their heads and mutter _sorry_ under their breaths. Then she turned to Harry expectantly.

"I'm sorry if I insulted either of you." Harry muttered avoiding direct eye contact with the other men.

"Thank you Harry," Hermione said and turned to Draco, "go ahead."

"Erm…well, I do not in fact live off my inheritance. I'm a lawyer, mostly wizarding but I have done some muggle cases." Draco said proudly.

"Huh," Harry said surprised, "And you?" They all turned to Blaise.

"Business." He said smiling tersely.

"Don't worry, that's all we've ever been able to get out of him." Pansy said noticing the confused and slightly offended look on Ginny's face. After a few moments of silence, Draco put down his spoon and turned to Harry.

"I would like to go ahead and apologize. I did a lot of horrible things in school and I regret them a lot. I mindlessly went along with what Lucius told me to do and believe. I figured out very quickly that I didn't feel the same way he did about the world, but it was too late for me to turn back. I am deeply sorry for any pain or troubles that I put into your life. I understand if you never forgive me, I would just like you to know that I am not who I used to be and I will do whatever I need to in order for you to see that." Draco said switching eye contact between Ginny and Harry as he spoke.

"Thank you Malfoy." Harry said uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry for slapping you," Ginny reached across the table and put her hand on his, "I understand that you did what you had to do in order to survive. We see now that you've changed, the fact you're with Mione is a testament to that. Thank you Malfoy." He nodded and she retracted her hand after a light pat.

At that, James decided the conversation was no longer interesting, now that his daddy wasn't in trouble, and started talking about his passions again. He kept talking until Ginny covered his mouth and told him it was time for his bath.

Hermione, Draco, Blaise and Pansy cleaned up the kitchen while Harry and Ginny took James to get ready for bed. Hermione and the trio settled into the living room and could hear James giggling and splashing in the bathtub.

"So…did you know they were coming?" Pansy asked turning to Hermione.

"No clue, although I should have expected it. I did tell you she would be panicking when I didn't write to her for a whole week." Hermione said with a dry chuckle. Pansy nodded.

"So they are here because you didn't write." Blaise asked confused.

"Pretty much. Harry told me Ginny was already worried about me. But Ron went to their house last night and whatever he said really set her off." Hermione said nervously.

"Hermione, James is asking for you to lay down with him till he falls asleep," Harry said sticking his head into the living room, "Ginny and I would like to talk to you three." Harry said as the trio started to get up. The sunk back into their seats and glanced at each other nervously. Hermione got up and gave them a reassuring smile before following Harry into their room. She came back out a few minutes later carrying James in her arms.

"Night night," He said giving them a small wave, "are you coming to play again tomorrow?" He asked sweetly.

"We'll see James. You see Blaise and I need to move into our new house tomorrow." Pansy explained frowning when the boy's face fell.

"Would it be alright if we helped you move?" Ginny hesitantly asked walking into the room.

"If you are alright with it, I don't see a problem." Pansy replied giving Ginny a small smile.

"Does helping them move sound like fun James?" Hermione asked the small boy feigning excitement. He thought about it and then nodded enthusiastically giving them a big smile.

"Well, we have a long day tomorrow, time for you to go to sleep mister," Ginny said before planting a big kiss on his cheek, "goodnight sweetie." Harry came over and did the same and Hermione carried James into her room. When the door was shut, Harry cast a silencing spell on the room and he and Ginny sat in front of the trio.

"James and Hermione seem to trust and like you three a lot. We are willing to try and do the same. But, we are doing so in the hope that you will help protect Hermione." Harry said with a warning tone.

"She is tough as nails but I'm almost certain the moment Ron finally finds her she will crack." Ginny continued her face full of concern.

"How real is the threat of him finding her?" Pansy asked grabbing Blaise's hand.

"I'm not sure. He managed to track her everywhere she went back home somehow though. He must have had people watching her or something," Harry explained, "Now she is in America, but so are you lot so I guess anything is possible."

"Something about my brother though. He is one of the most hot-headed and determined people I know. He may never find her but I can promise you, he won't ever stop looking." Ginny said solemnly.

"No need to worry," Draco said angrily, "If he ever gets close to her again, I will have no regrets in making him wish he were never born." Pansy and Blaise nodded vigorously, Blaise even cracked his knuckles.

"Good." Harry said letting out a sigh of relief.

"What are you guys talking about?" Hermione whispered as she shut the door behind her.

"You're new hair, we didn't want to get too serious without you here." Ginny lied quickly.

"Yeah, we all love it very chic." Harry said unconvincingly, nodding in agreement. That caused everyone to slowly shake their heads.

"Ah…well…thanks, what serious stuff do we have to talk about?" Hermione asked sitting next to Draco.

"Well, to start, how did this happen?" Harry asked motioning to Hermione and Draco, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"I had some clothes that desperately needed to be washed and he was the only option. Draco apologized for being an ass. Then Addi forced me to stay for dinner. Afterwards Draco apologized again and admitted he used to like me."

"Then Hermione hit me with a door and then Addi forced me to take her out and show her around. We got very drunk and fell asleep on the balcony. When we woke up in the morning Hermione ran screaming."

"I didn't scream."

"Might as well have."

"Whatever. The next day, Pansy and Blaise showed up."

"Hermione freaked out about her safety."

"Draco punched me in the nose."

"Pansy spent the night here."

"Then we went shopping and learned pretty much everything about everyone."

"We watched movies for a week and then they stood us up for dinner to force us to go on a date."

"We came back and finally admitted we had feelings for one another."

"Pansy and Blaise got engaged."  
"Decided to move down the street."

"And now we're all here."

Harry was slightly dizzy from trying to catch up with their quick tradeoffs while telling their story. He was almost certain he understood what all had happened but wasn't totally sure.

"So…who is Addi?" Ginny asked confused.

"Addi is the house elf that works, as a free elf, for Draco." Hermione explained.

"I'm pretty sure she is the one who owns him though." Blaise chuckled and Draco sent him a scathing look.

"She took care of me as I grew up and I couldn't get rid of her after that." Draco said with a shrug.

"And you're okay with that Hermione? What about SPEW?" Harry said and all attention turned to her.

"Well, like I said, she is a free elf. She stays with him by her own free will, he pays her and gives her clothes and treats her really well," she covered a giggle with her hand, "And she really does own him more than he owns her. It's kind of adorable actually."

"You two," Draco said blushing and pointing at Blaise and Hermione, "Need to shut up. She doesn't own me. I just know from experience that it's better just to do what she says." He finished sheepishly.

"Whatever mate." Blaise snorted and rolled his eyes. They all chuckled for a moment before returning to an awkward silence.

"So," Ginny said turning to Pansy, "congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you," Pansy said letting a massive smile almost split her face in two and she held on closer to Blaise, "it's been a long time coming, I'm glad it is finally happening."

"When is the wedding then?" Ginny asked innocently. The smile instantly dropped from Pansy's face replaced by a look of horror.

"I-I-I haven't even considered it. We got so busy with moving here, I hadn't even thought of it," She looked horrified towards Blaise, "We forgot to tell my mother."

"Pans, calm down, we have time. We'll start planning as soon as we get settled here." Blaise said patting her hand reassuringly. Pansy visibly calmed down but took several deep breaths just in case.

"Sorry, didn't mean to upset you." Ginny apologized nervously. Pansy waved her off.

"Thank you for reminding me." She said smiling at the red head.

"Well," Harry said standing up, "it's been a long and very odd day. I'm going to bed. Goodnight you lot." He gave Hermione a kiss on the top of her head and a tight nod to the rest of the group before heading off to his room.

"Night." Ginny said with a wave, following her husband into their room.

"We're going to head out too, we have a long day tomorrow." Pansy said. After they said their goodnights they headed off to 221B.

"I probably should go with them, its Addi's night off and they forget they don't have a key." He chuckled and stood them up.

"Thank you Draco." She said wrapping him into a tight hug.

"What for?" He asked when she pulled away.

"You handled everything well tonight and were civil and apologized to Harry and Ginny. On top of that, you were great with James and that helped a lot," she kissed his nose and giggled, "Where was this soft side when we were at school?"

"I think Blaise was keeping it in a jar somewhere," he chuckled, "I'll see you tomorrow." She led him to the door where he stopped and turned to her. He pushed back a loose strand of hair, leaned down and kissed her. She had no idea how long they stayed there but a bang on the door finally separated them.

"Draco, I'm tired and you need to open your door so I can get to bed. You can snog Hermione as much as you want in the morning." Pansy called from the other side.

"Goodnight." He said and kissed her forehead before opening the door and walking across the hall.

"Night." She said quietly as he shut his door behind him.

* * *

The next morning Hermione woke up with her alarm and an elbow in her face. Once she managed to dislodge herself from the small boy, she took a quick shower. Once she was done, she rushed into the living room, grabbed a bit of floo and called the Omnes book shop. Hawthorn was already in his chair by the fire and answered with a bright smile.

"Good morning beautiful, I love what you've done with your hair." He said once he was settled on the hearth.

"Thank you, figured it was time for a change. Hey, I'm sorry to ask but is it alright if I have a few days off? I need to help some friends move and then some friends from London are visiting. I'm really sorry, I didn't know all of this would happen." She said quickly.

"Don't worry about it! I can just have Ash come and help me until you can come back," He said waving off her concern, "have a good time, good luck." She ended the call and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. She hadn't so much as pulled the eggs out of the fridge when Addi appeared next to her in her signature puff of pink. Thankfully she hadn't pulled the eggs out because she jumped violently at the intrusion.

"Addi, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Hermione squealed clutching her heart.

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss Hermione, I didn't mean to startle you," Addi squeaked rushing forward and patting her arm tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry."

"Its fine Addi," Hermione said patting the small elf on the head, "what are you doing here?"

"I heard that you had guests and I came to help with breakfast." She said wringing her hands.

"I would have liked notice you were coming but I'm glad you're here," Hermione said with a smile as she opened the fridge again, "honestly, I only have eggs and an apple. I've been here a month and I've yet to buy actual essentials."

"I'll go get things then, don't you worry Miss Hermione." She said disappearing again. Hermione started pulling pans out of the drawer and Addi returned soon after.

"I hope you don't mind but I told Mister Draco to wake up Miss Pansy and Mister Blaise once he called into work and then head over here for breakfast when they were ready." Addi said summoning her pink stool and depositing her items on the counter.

"Of course I don't mind, they would have found their way over here eventually anyway," Hermione said as she started to look through the food, "flour, vanilla, salt, baking powder, sugar, blueberries. What are we making?"

"Blueberry waffles, Mister Draco's favorite! The milk and butter are in the fridge, and Mister Draco is bringing the waffle iron and syrup!" Addi said excitedly.

"Sounds good to me," Hermione said with a nod, "Where should I start?"

"Measuring the dry ingredients please," Addi said pulling the recipe out of the pocket of her princess dress, "hand them to me and I'll start mixing them together."

"Yes ma'am." Hermione said with a mock salute. After all the dry ingredients were mixed together Hermione went and started pulling things from the fridge.

"You said these were Draco's favorite?" Hermione asked turning to Addi.

"Yes, I've been making them for him since he was a child. Now when I make them, he acts like one," Addi giggled behind her hand, "I used to put some pepper up potion in it, he was such a dreary child you know, but I stopped once he was around seven or eight. He acts like I never stopped though."

"Can't wait to see that then." Hermione said handing Addi the eggs. A few minutes later there was a knock on the front door.

"I got it." Hermione said wiping her hands on her jeans and leaving the kitchen. She opened the door and outside stood a bouncing Draco and an exhausted Pansy and Blaise.

"Hi, good morning, waffles." Draco said bounding forward and kissing Hermione and rushing to the kitchen leaving Hermione dazed.

"Addi would have totally been a Slytherin." Pansy muttered rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. Blaise grunted in agreement, slumping wearily into the doorframe

"What happened to you two?" Hermione asked ushering them into the apartment and onto the couch.

"When we came back last night Addi was waiting for us," Pansy groaned, "she sent Draco off to bed and told us to sit on the couch and wait for her. She disappeared into her room and didn't come back until almost two in the morning."

"She said it was very bad of Pansy to rush across the hall and very bad of me for not stopping her," Blaise cut in, "then she said she would properly deal with us in the morning and she sent us to bed."

"That sounds like a very Addi thing to do." Hermione said with a secret grin as they drooped further down in their seats.

"It gets worse," Pansy exclaimed sitting up suddenly, "bright and early this morning Draco is practically jumping on our bed yelling something about waffles and begging us to get up. We hardly got any sleep." Blaise nodded glumly.

"Go tell Addi I've forgiven the two of you and apologize to her and maybe she will give you some coffee," Hermione said patting their heads, "I'm going to wake everyone else up." Pansy and Blaise trudged into the kitchen and Hermione headed to her room. She opened the door to see James had spread out and found a way to take up almost the whole bed with his small frame. Softly she sat on the bed beside him and started shaking his arm.

"James, James, time to wake up." She said softly.

"I don't wanna get up." He mumbled rolling himself into a ball and away from her.

"Come on kiddo, Draco and Pansy and Blaise are here." She told him excitedly.

"Good for them." He said.

"There's waffles." She said causing him to roll back to her.

"What kind of waffles?" He asked narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously.

"Both you and Draco's favorite, blueberry." She whispered as if telling him a secret. His big green eyes brightened and he jumped up and hopped off the bed.

"Come on Aunt Mione, waffles!" He squealed.

"Hold on, we need to go wake up your parents first." She said standing up and soon following as he ran out of the room at her words.

"Waffles, waffles, waffles!" She could hear him yelling from the guest room. Satisfied that James would be able to effectively rouse his parents, she followed her nose to the kitchen.

Inside she found Pansy and Blaise graciously cradling cups of coffee at the table watching Addi and Draco in amusement. Draco was watching Addi use the waffle maker intently close enough to it that his face was flushing red from the heat exuding from it. Every time Addi would ladle in some batter he would practically hold his breath with excitement. When it was done his face would light up and he would smile like an idiot as it was piled on top of the others. Soon he was joined by a similarly enthused James and they would giggle together at every waffle related move Addi would make. The rest of the, sane, adults sat at the table with coffee or tea and watched the child and James with amusement. Finally the batter was spent and Addi moved the stack of waffles to the table, James and Draco migrating with them. Once James and Addi were settled into their booster seats Addi floated two waffles onto everyone's plates, having already cut James' up into pieces. James grabbed the syrup and drenched his waffle passing it to Draco next. He grabbed his fork and stabbed a bit of waffle to bring it up to his mouth.

"James Sirius Potter, what do you say before you eat food someone has made for you?" Ginny scolded.

"Thank you for the waffles," He said flashing a smile at Addi, "Can I eat now?"

"You are very welcome Mister James, and yes, you may eat." Addi said patting his hand.

"Don't have to tell me twice." He giggled, finally digging into his food. Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes and Harry grinned proudly at his son. Everyone thanked Addi before eating their first bites and it wasn't long before Draco was going in for seconds. Then thirds.

"Mister Draco, it's not that I don't appreciate you eating my food, but save a little for everyone else." Addi chided the man causing him to hang his head. Everyone chuckled as he slowly ate another bite anyway.

"I like you," James said turning to Addi, "You're bossy and you cook good like my Mum and Grama Molly."

"James, don't call people bossy, it's rude." Ginny said shocked.

"It's quite alright, I take it as a compliment. It means that I'm in charge, just the way I like it." Addi said with a nod and her hands on her hips. Everyone laughed, James more so because everyone else was. Soon, everyone had finished and Addi shooed them out of the kitchen so she could clean up "without being stepped on."

"I'm so full, my stomach hurts." Draco moaned rubbing his stomach and plopping onto the couch.

"Same." James said settling in next to Draco, leaning his head on his arm and mimicking Draco's tummy rubbing on his own.

"Maybe if you two didn't eat so much it wouldn't." Hermione said poking Draco's stomach and receiving an annoyed glare that made her giggle.

"I say we wait an hour and then we get started on moving." Pansy said.

"That'll give Ginny and I some time to actually get ready since we were so abruptly woken up this morning." He said looking pointedly at an oblivious James.

"Same here." Pansy said giving the same look to an equally oblivious Draco.

"See you lot in a bit then." Harry said as he and Ginny walked back to their room.

"Keys, Draco," Pansy said holding out her hand. He shifted and pulled them out of his pocket with a grunt and deposited them in her open palm, "Thank you." She and Blaise left, slamming the door slightly behind them.

"Let's watch a movie while we wait, what do you two want to watch?" Hermione asked moving to the bookcase.

"Ludo." James suggested.

"You mean Labyrinth?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, that one." James nodded, not really caring what it was actually called. Hermione moved to put in the movie.

"I like that one too," Draco said, "although I'm a little surprised your parents let you watch it."

"Why?" James asked.

"Because of the bulge." Draco said as if it was obvious.

"What's the bulge?" James asked Hermione.

"It's-" Draco started.

"He just means because it's kina scary," Hermione cut in glaring at Draco, "right Draco?"

"Oh yeah, yup, scary." Draco agreed.

"Oh, well I'm a big boy, I don't get scared." James said as Hermione settled down next to him.

"Right." Hermione said with finality.

* * *

An hour and a half later, everyone was back in the living room ready to go. Addi had finished cleaning and gone back to Draco's with a promise to send something over for lunch. After turning off the movie, much to Draco and James' despair, the unorthodox group each shuffled through the floo to the new house. Hermione, having gone first, shuffled to the side as soon as she was through, taking in the semi-familiar kitchen. They hadn't spent much time exploring the building but Hermione knew that outside the kitchen lay a living space very similar, but much larger, to her own. Behind her followed Draco, holding James over his shoulder and making buzzing sounds. Hermione gave them a confused look as Ginny and Pansy followed close after.

"Two questions. One, what on earth are you doing Draco? And two, where are Harry and Blaise?" Hermione asked when the other men didn't follow.

"Blaise and Harry are getting the suitcases. I may have learned the expansion charm but no featherweight charm can reduce the weight of those things." Pansy said grinning proudly, then humorously, to herself.

"We're playing airplane Aunt Mione!" James exclaimed from Draco's shoulder.

"Floo can just be so boring." Draco said with a shrug before returning to his antics once again, James shrieking with laughter.

"What is being done to my son?" Harry grunted as he came through the floo, his hands cradling several bags. Blaise was right behind him carrying twice the bags and obviously twice the weight.

"Airplane." All the women replied as if it was obvious. Draco, flushed and slightly panting, and a still giggling James joined the group.

"Ah, now I see," Harry said sarcastically, "where can I put these Parkinson?" The strain was starting to be visible through their arms.

"Just put them on the counter," She said with a flap of her hand, "I'm not sure what is in each bag."

"Rocks." Harry sighed with relief after depositing his load.

"But pretty rocks." Pansy said innocently with a bat of the eyelashes.

"Wait," Harry scoffed, "There are actually rocks in here?"

"A few, here and there," Pansy turned up her nose at him, "I may not like the dirt, but I like what comes out of it."

"Like Malfoy apparently." Ginny muttered under her breath. Hermione, Pansy, and Blaise all opened their mouths to retort but were cut off by James entering the conversation.

"Worms come out of the dirt, do you like worms?" He asked innocently, his wide eyes distracting her from the snickers coming from Blaise and Draco.

"I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan of worms, no." Pansy said wrinkling her nose at the idea. James thought about it a few seconds before nodding and going to Ginny.

"Mummy doesn't like worms either. One time I assidently put one in her hair. It was an assident but I still got in trouble," he grinned slyly at Ginny showing off his teeth before turning back to Pansy, "But I bring any near you. Now I know you don't like worms, so I won't bring them close to you and Mummy."

"That's very nice of you James, thank you." Pansy said trying to stifle a laugh and match the young boy's sincerity. He smiled at her and the adults turned their attentions back to each other.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Draco asked, eyeing the pile of bags as if they were going to jump out and bite him. Pansy opened her mouth as if to purpose something but slowly shut it, realizing she in fact had no clue either.

"I have an idea." Hermione said.

"Surprise, surprise." Blaise muttered to Draco causing a surprised snort to escape from him. They muttered a quick sorry when Hermione narrowed her eyes at them.

"As I was saying," she cleared her throat, "as Pansy said, she doesn't know what is in each bag. The most obvious thing to do would be to check what is in each and then put the bags in their respective rooms." She finished with a proud grin.

"Hermione, I hate to break it to you, but we didn't really organize anything by how you're thinking we did. We went room by room and placed different fragility level stuff in different bags." Pansy said with a sympathetic smile.

"When objects are old or surrounded by magic for long periods of time or both, as the case usually is, they become more fragile. Any spell that would affect the actual composition of the object would break it past repair." Draco said noting Hermione's confused expression.

"So the more fragile, the stronger the protection spell would need to be for each object in each bag," Ginny cut in, "The protection spells would all need to be pretty similar in strength for each bag or one could overpower the other and blow out the whole thing."

"Like pottery in a kiln," Hermione said with a nod, "well, I guess we open up each bag and deal with the contents accordingly. We can put things in the rooms they belong to and just specify places tomorrow."

"I could only get out of work for today." Draco said a guilty look on his face. Truthfully, he hadn't even asked for the day off and was now grateful for his own forward thinking.

"Then we will work you extra hard today. Get to work." Pansy said with a pat to his cheek. Blaise and Harry snickered at his groan. Hermione went over to the counter and started picking bags up one by one. She would make a face after each one and either put them off to the left or place them back where they came from. Everyone watched curiously for a few minutes before she smiled at her piles and turned to face the group.

"On the left are the lighter bags, I'm assuming that they have things like clothes or bedding. Pansy, why don't you James and Ginny get started on those." Hermione instructed. The two women nodded warily at each other before leading James into the other room. Blaise grabbed the bags and followed behind. After helping the trio set up in the bedroom, he returned to the kitchen.

"The four of us will be working on the heavier bags. I didn't want James to get in the way of the heavy stuff and Pansy would have a fit if anyone else tried to organize her closet." Hermione said with a smile which was reflected by the men around her. With a final deep breath, Hermione gestured to the bags and each man hauled one into the living room.

The rest of the morning was spent hauling suitcases into the living room, resizing them and carefully pulling items out. Each object was examined by Blaise or Draco to decide where its new home was in relation to where it had been before. Once they were sure it suffered no damage, they would remove the protection spell and move onto the next thing. It didn't take long before jokes were being thrown across the room, usually mocking the work efforts of someone else. The common theme was how Hermione was able to carry much heavier objects, without breaking a sweat.

"I carry a lot of books at once boys, and I know you have all witnessed it on several occasions, there is truly no reason for any of you to be surprised." She huffed the first time she caught them gawking at her tiny frame carrying a large clock across the room.

Soon, the three men were joking and laughing with each other as if their pasts didn't entwine the way they truly did. Harry was sporting around as if he were at the Burrow, joking around with one of his in-laws. Draco and Blaise had shed their 'tough-guy' facades and were acting like the repressed children they truly were. Every so often Hermione would pause and observe the men with a smile, noting proudly that rude remarks were being made between the men, but were being taken in stride and as the jokes they truly were.

Addi showed up around noon, bearing a platter of sandwiches and calling them to the empty kitchen. Hermione's group filed in first and waited apprehensively for Pansy James and Ginny. Sure, the two women didn't have much, if any, contact while at school but Ginny was hot-headed, defensive and had heard enough about Pansy from others throughout the years. Much to everyone's relief though, the two women walked into the kitchen laughing and talking like they had been friends for years. Pansy was carrying James whose eyes lit up. Whether it was because of the food, or Addi, no one could ever say. James prattled on about everything through lunch, as usual, and the adults sat in silence, listening attentively. None of them commented on it, but they were all relieved, and a little proud of themselves for the lack of tension around the room as they ate.

After they were finished, Addi took James back to Hermione's apartment for his nap and the adults returned to their tasks. Ginny and Pansy returned to the bedroom to sort out the things they didn't want James seeing or getting his hands on. Their task was quickly completed and they joined the rest of the group in the living room. Thanks to the extra hands, the bags were soon emptied and sent off to storage. Everyone took a step back and took a communitive sigh of relief.

"Well, that could have been worse." Pansy commented looking around at the disorganized, but decorative chaos that was her new home.

"Sure, we'll go with that." Harry said with a snort. Pansy rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"We better head back, we have a lot left to do tomorrow." Ginny said gesturing to the items littering the floor and the disassembled furniture. Blaise and Harry groaned and Draco smiled inwardly and patted them sympathetically on the shoulder.

"You two did do a lot today, maybe take the day off tomorrow? You two go and do something with James so that we don't have to worry about where he is all day tomorrow." Hermione said, Pansy and Ginny nodding in agreement.

"I'd feel awful leaving all this up to just you three though." Harry said, trying to convince his wife, and himself, he was willing to help.

"Don't worry about it, we wouldn't want you boys to mess up your manicures." Ginny giggled wiggling her fingers and rolling her eyes. Hermione and Pansy laughed.

"But really, don't worry about it. We will get done a lot faster without you lot under our feet. Plus, I've become quite proficient with assembling furniture as of late." Hermione said with a sad smile causing Pansy's face to grow red.

"I hate your brother." She said to Ginny who could only nod in, almost, agreement. An awkward moment later, Harry gave Hermione a knowing smile and nodded.

"Fine, we will go out with James," Harry said before turning to Blaise and clapping him on the shoulder, "how good are you on roller-skates Zabini?" The question caused Ginny and Hermione to break out into loud laughter while the rest of the group stared in confusion.

"I don't like the sound of whatever it is you're suggesting Potter." Blaise said, narrowing his eyes and the ex-Gryffindor.

"It's ice-skating but on a wooden floor and in shoes that have wheels attached to the bottom. It's quite simple really and don't worry Blaise, James can teach you how to do it. It's one of his favorite pastimes and he has become quite a good teacher." Hermione joked causing Blaise to puff out his chest.

"Well, if mini-Potter can, it must not be too hard." Blaise said with a shrug. With secretive chuckles, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry led the group back out through the floo.

* * *

Exhausted, they all quickly ate dinner and got ready for bed. Ginny and Harry left first, dragging James into their room with them after his endless rounds of goodnights. Pansy and Blaise headed off a few minutes later, Draco's keys in hand. All that remained was Draco and Hermione sitting close on the sofa. After the door shut behind Blaise, Draco held his arms open and Hermione snuggled warmly into them.

"Well, this isn't how I thought our first few days as a couple would turn out." He muttered into her hair.

"What did you imagine Draco?" Hermione asked, breathing in deeply.

"Well, I had planned on taking you to dinner and then to see that Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Then help Pansy and Blaise move in after work all week but sit like we are now when we were finished for the night," Draco said rubbing light circles on her arm, "I definitely imagined a snogging session or two."

"That would have been nice." She giggled.

"What did you think it would be like?" He asked.

"Honestly, I hadn't really given it much thought," she said sitting up to face him, "Probably because somewhere deep inside I knew something like this would happen this week."

"Hermione," he said warily, "you haven't been reading tea leaves have you?" She slapped him lightly across his chest.

"If I ever do, _please_ , end me then and there." She said seriously. He rolled his eyes and pulled her back into his arms.

"You know, today wasn't really half bad. Potter isn't as insufferable as I remember him being." Draco admitted.

"You've both changed since we were at school. You much more so than him of course. The only real thing that has changed about him is that now he finally has a family and is happy." She said.

"Lucky him." Draco huffed.

"I'm sorry Draco, I didn't mean anything by that." She rushed looking at him nervously.

"It's fine Hermione." He said flatly.

"Wait, you aren't happy?" She muttered.

"Hermione, don't read too much into that, okay? I'm not happy, I don't think I ever have been but these last few weeks with you, and with all that has happened," he paused and took a deep breath, "it's the closest I've ever come."

"Oh Draco." She whispered, trying to hold back tears as she pulled him into a hug that almost broke his back.

"Cant…breathe…" He managed to mutter and she pulled back with a gasp.

"Sorry." She said, face flushing. He gave her a small smile before leaning in to kiss her.

It started out innocent, just a brush of lips and a shared breath before Hermione pushed in a little closer. And like that, the kiss turned into something very different. Her lips hurt from the pressure between the two of them but she couldn't care less. He bit her bottom lip gently and she groaned raising her hands and pushing them through his hair. Before she could stop herself, her tongue darted out and caressed his bottom lip. With a badly suppressed moan he opened his mouth to her and brushed her tongue with his. She found herself lost in the kiss, he tasted almost as good as he smelled and she was relishing in it. He broke away but before she had a chance to moan in protest, he had latched his mouth to her neck. She had to stifle a moan as he travelled around her neck, nibbling and sucking and licking her in a way that had her feeling it down to her toes.

(HERE WE GO KIDS) She wasn't sure who maneuvered them but before she knew it he was on his back and she was straddling him. What she did know was that she could feel his erection bulging underneath her. She ground her hips down and allowed herself a triumphant grin as he groaned hotly into her ear. Taking advantage of his distraction, she directed her attention to his neck and returned the favor. His hands flew to her hips, trying to hold them closer together as he ground them together. She returned to his lips but after several minutes she could tell neither of them were getting enough out of the awkward couch positioning, she pulled back. They were both breathing heavily and his pupils were blown wide in his silver eyes.

"Bedroom?" He asked hoarsely.

"Bedroom." She said jumping off of him, and rushing ahead to the room. Once inside with the door shut they stood facing each other uncomfortably.

"Well." She said awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other.

"Hermione, I've never done anything like this before." He admitted, glad the room was too dim for her to see his blush, "you're going to have to lead the way."

"Okay," She muttered, more to herself, and guided them over to the bed, "Draco, what all have you done in the past?" He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"One time I found a way to peak into the girls showers at school and Pansy kicked me in the face while totally nude." He confessed awkwardly.

"You're lying." Hermione said bluntly.

"I really wish I was." He groaned covering his face. She just patted his shoulder and tried not to laugh. Finally she got herself under control and came up with an idea. Trying not to signal Draco as to what she was doing, she slipped of her shirt and bra and cleared her throat. He looked up and his eyes widened at the sight.

"Just go with whatever feels right Draco. Don't think about it too much." She told him.

"Wha-" He started but she cut him off with a kiss. It progressed much like one before but this time she ended up underneath him. She reached down and guided his hands up to her chest. He gave her breast a tentative squeeze. They were soft, and he felt the blood rush to his cheeks like he was doing something he wasn't supposed to, but did anyway. He felt himself grow harder as she moaned at the contact and her nipples puckered.

Curious, he moved himself lower and attached his mouth to one nipple, letting his tongue tease the bud. She couldn't contain the groan of pleasure that soon followed. He sucked a little harder and lightly bit her eliciting another groan, this one louder than the last. They stayed that way for several minutes. Following her advice, he did what felt right and trailed his hand down her exposed stomach. Her breath hitched as she felt him undoing the button and pulling down the zipper. She lifted her butt off the bed and helped him shimmy both her pants and undies off of her body.

Before she let him progress any further though, she pulled his lips to hers and sucked them greedily. Feeling at a disadvantage, she broke away for a second to pull his shirt off his body. He leaned closer and pressed their upper bodies close together. Both gasped as their warm skin collided and Draco turned to her neck. As he did so, his hands returned to her breasts, kneading them gently. Desperate for reprieve from the tension between her legs, Hermione wrapped her bare legs around his waist and ground herself over his denim clad erection.

"Someone seems a little desperate." Draco chuckled, maneuvering himself to remove his pants.

"You would be too if all the sex you've ever had would have ended at the couch." She said grumpily.

She gasped as he settled back down and returned his mouth to her breast with only a hum as a reply. Her fingers ran through his soft hair, scratching his scalp lightly. Gathering his courage, he trailed his hand down her stomach again, making her shiver. Slowly, he rubbed a finger at her entrance, up and down her slick folds before delicately inserting it. Her breath hitched and she bit her lip at the sensation. Without prompt, he began to pump his finger in and out causing a string of broken moans. He leaned up and kissed her while adding a second finger to the mix. She never fully returned the kiss, she was too busy moaning his name.

The friction wasn't enough for Hermione though, but she wasn't sure how to tell him to fix the problem. Deciding on the easiest course of action, she snaked her hand between the two of them. He looked confused but she cut him off with a kiss. With practiced movements she began to rub herself, groaning slightly when Draco started picking up the pace. It had been so long, she knew she was close. She started bucking into his hand.

"D-Draco, don't stop, I'm so close." She practically screamed, finding his shoulder and biting it lightly. He did as he was told and soon she was seeing stars, a silent scream bubbling out in a chocked gasp. He slowed his fingers down, assisting her ride through the orgasm.

"Draco, we don't have to anything more yet if you don't want to." She said, looking him straight in the eye. He pulled his fingers out and kissed her sweetly. Taking a deep breath, he positioned his erection at her slick entrance.

"Scared Malfoy?" She teased.

"You wish." He murmured, catching her mouth in a kiss and sinking into her. Once fully inside her, his whole body shuddered. It was the best thing he had ever felt, hot and tight and just so good. It took a small thrust of her hips to remind him what he was supposed to be doing. His thrusts were clumsy and he only managed to last a few minutes, but it was the best few minutes of either of their lives. And he still managed to last longer than Ron ever had. With a strangled moan of her name, Draco came suddenly and collapsed on top of her breathlessly.

"Draco, I don't have much to compare from, but that was really fucking good." Hermione gasped as he pulled out and settled down next to her.

"Thanks," he chuckled pulling out his wand and muttering a contraceptive under his breath, "I picked up a few things from hearing the guys back at school brag about their sex lives all the time. Really though, they just looked at a lot of porn."

"Thank you over-confident and overly-sexual school boys." Hermione yawned, snuggling up next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close, kissing her nose.

"Goodnight Hermione." He muttered.

"Goodnight wee-wolf." She said through a yawn before cutting off any protests with a kiss. Almost instantly they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Mummy, Daddy, Aunt Mione and Mr. Draco went swimming last night! Are they married now?" James yelled from the doorway into the living room. Hermione sat up startled, clutching the sheet to her chest. Draco lay where he was and rubbed his eyes groaning.

"James, come on." Harry said leading the young boy away from the door, Ginny coming up behind him.

"Sorry, we told him to come wake Hermione up, we didn't know you were here Draco." Ginny said trying to avoid looking at the bed.

"Why did he think we went swimming? And why does he think we are married?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Erm," Ginny's face turned bright red, "he has walked in on Harry and I and we told him we were naked because sometimes married couples turn their beds into swimming pools and swim at night," Ginny said banging her head on the doorframe, "now what do I tell him?"

"Just tell him the rules are different in America." Draco chuckled finally opening his eyes and looking up at Ginny.

"That, may just work," She said with a groan, "go wash the pool water off you two. Draco, you're going to be late for work." With that, she shut the door and they both jumped out of bed.

They quickly showered, allowing themselves a few minutes to kiss good morning. Dawning his clothes from the previous day, he raced across the hall to get ready for work.

By the time Hermione was ready for the day, Draco had left, Ginny and Harry were getting James ready and Pansy and Blaise were in the living room sipping coffee. The moment Hermione entered the room, Pansy squealed loudly and jumped off the couch.

"You little minx, I'm so proud of you!" She said engulfing Hermione in a hug.

"Um, thanks Pans." Hermione said with an awkward pat to her friends back.

"There are some scrambled eggs and bacon in the kitchen waiting for you and then we need to get started." Pansy said pulling away and returning to her position on the couch. Hermione nodded and headed into the kitchen. She ate quickly and returned to the living room.

After wishing Blaise, Harry and James good luck and goodbye, the girls stepped through the floo to Pansy's house. Setting up the furniture and placing the decorations took only a few short hours. The three women plopped down on the sofa and enjoyed their handy work.

"So now what do we do with ourselves?" Ginny asked the other women.

"I actually wanted to ask you two a favor," Pansy said, "I was wondering if you guys would help me pick out a wedding dress this week? Blaise and I talked about it and we decided we wanted to get married as soon as we could get everything in order." Ginny gasped excitedly and clapped her hands.

"Yes, of course! This will be so much fun." Ginny said, showing where James got his excitable side from.

"I'm so happy for you two Pans." Hermione said pulling her friend in for a hug. Hermione contentedly sat back and listened to Ginny and Pansy discuss dresses for a while before getting their attentions with a sigh.

"Can we save all this talk till tomorrow you guys?" She whined. Ginny giggled and looked at her watch.

"We probably should head back and get started on dinner. The boys should be done soon." She said with a devilish grin. The girls stood up and started walking to the floo.

"I don't get it, what's so hard about roller-skating?" Pansy asked as they stepped through.

"It just takes a lot of balance and really sure footing." Hermione said with a shrug.

"Well then Blaise won't have too much trouble with it. He did grow up playing quidditch and that takes a hell of a lot of balance." Pansy said proudly.

"Meh," Ginny said, "It's a different kind of balance. I grew up playing quidditch and I spent more time on my butt than standing the first time we went roller-skating."

"Poor Blaise." Pansy said with a giggle. The women were about to walk into the kitchen when a puff of pink smoke stopped them.

"Hello Addi." The women said in unison at the new comer.

"Hello, how did today go?" She asked.

"All finished, we were just about to get started on dinner." Pansy told her.

"I'm here just in time then." Addi said with a nod before walking briskly to the kitchen. The three women rolled their eyes at each other and followed after.

"What's on the menu for tonight?" Hermione asked.

"Pizza," Addi snapped and ingredients appeared, "Everyone gets a small crust and they make it on their own and then we bake it."

"James and Harry will love that." Ginny said. For the next hour and a half the women all worked together to prepare the ingredients needed. Once everything was all laid out, the floo roared to life, a giggling James emerging from it.

"Mummy." He cried barreling into the kitchen and into his mother's arms.

"Hello James, how was your day?" She said giving him a kiss.

"It was so much fun!" He said before wiggling out of her grasp and running over to chat with Addi. Harry and Blaise walked into the room trailed by Draco.

"When did you get here?" Hermione asked going over to embrace him.

"Right after they did," He said kissing the top of her head, "I'm starving." Everyone groaned in agreement and quickly set about fixing their pizzas. Dinner was a quiet affair, James having exhausted himself with all of the skating. As soon as they helped Addi clean up, the Potters took James for his bath and set him down for bed. Once that task was complete, they joined the others in the living room.

"So how _did_ today go?" Hermione asked turning to the boys. Blaise huffed and stalked off towards the kitchen. As soon as he was gone, Harry cast a silencing charm and broke out into tearful laughter.

"It was great, James held one hand while Blaise had a death-grip on the wall. Every so often James would convince him to let go of the wall and Zabini would almost immediately fall," Harry had to pause for a moment as he choked out more laughter, "Zabini would curse and James would just pat him on the head and tsk at him till he got back up. Best part is," he paused and waited till they were all leaning towards him, "I got video." He whispered. Draco practically leapt over the back of the sofa as Harry pulled out his phone and started playing the video.

It was about 10 minutes long and consisted of Blaise teetering around on his skates, falling and then James consoling him. By the end they were all roaring with laughter and re-watched it several times.

"I swear if you lot watch that one more time, I will murder you all and feel no remorse." Blaise said darkly as he came back into the room. Making solid eye contact with Blaise, Pansy reached around Harry and pressed the play button again. They watched Blaise's face instead of the video and by the end were laughing harder than ever. After several bangs from down stairs, they settled down, clutching their sides.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat." Pansy said stifling a large yawn. Ginny nodded in agreement and stood up.

"Goodnight you guys." She said with a small wave before heading off to her room. Harry stayed for a few minutes and before saying goodnight and following his wife.

"Come one Blaise, Draco, time for bed." Pansy said standing up.

"Why me?" Draco said

"Because we can't risk you being late for work again," Pansy chided, "Now say goodnight to your girlfriend and it's off to bed." Draco rolled his eyes but complied.

"Goodnight girlfriend." He said sarcastically before comically, and loudly, smooching her causing her to giggle.

"Night guys." She said with a wave as she showed them out. Exhausted, she headed to her bed, sadly, alone.

* * *

"Miss Pansy, you look so beautiful!" James gasped as Pansy stepped in front of the mirror.

"I'm with James on this one Parkinson." Harry said.

"This is the one." Pansy said, tears threatening to spill over.

"I told you it would be worth the wait." Ginny sniffled. Hermione couldn't bring herself to say anything so she elected to wrap her friend in a hug as she sniffled.

It had been a long week for them all. Pansy had sent Blaise back to Paris to tie up loose ends while the rest of the small group trapezoid around muggle and wizarding Dallas in search of the perfect dress. Draco gratefully left each morning for work, giving Hermione a sympathetic kiss goodbye and well wishes for the day. It was now Friday and after a few days of endless shopping, they had found "the one."

To Hermione, it seemed like all the others Pansy had tried on. White, tight and elegant. But the way Pansy's face light up when she was wearing set it apart. She cried through the whole process of paying and the whole trip back to her home. Once there, she snifflingly asked if she could have awhile alone, but come back for dinner later. Ginny, understanding what she was going through, pat her on the back and they all headed back to Hermione's apartment. They stayed there the rest of the day watching movies until Draco came home from work.

After he finished changing, they headed over to Pany and Blaise's. The couple already had dinner ready for them by the time they got there. Addi had come over and helped Pansy make chicken and cheese enchiladas. This dinner, much like all the meals the group shared together over the last week, was loud and filled with James excitement. There was an air of sadness though, knowing that it was to be the last one for a while. The Potters were going back to London the next morning, regardless of how much they wanted to stay. Once they were all very full, they migrated to the living room.

"Do you think you will be able to make it for the wedding?" Pansy asked turning to Ginny.

"We can try but, I doubt it. As much as we want to, it would be too risky." Ginny said sadly.

"I understand. We will make sure to get lots of pictures to you guys though." Pansy said giving Ginny a reassuring smile.

"Good." Ginny said with a giggle.

"Merlin, look at all of us," Hermione sighed, "Who would have ever thought that we would be here like this."

"You probably did, with all your tea reading." Draco said with a snicker. Everyone laughed at Hermione's blush.

"Can it you." She said poking his side.

"I agree with Hermione, it is quite crazy. One hell of a week." Blaise said.

"Swear." James said sleepily from Ginny's side.

"Sorry little man." Blaise said with a small smile.

"Well, I think it is time for bed." Ginny said, hoisting James off the couch. They all said goodnight and headed off to their respective beds.

* * *

The next morning Hermione woke up with a sad groan, already hearing the Potters moving around in the living room. Sadly, she rolled out of bed, got ready and trudged into the living room. Everyone was standing there waiting for her, sad smiles on all their faces.

"Mione, can I talk to you real quick before we go?" Harry asked. She nodded and led him into the guest room.

"Mione I need to know this now before we go but, are you positive you are making the right decision with Malfoy? He has changed a lot since school but that doesn't change who he was. Plus, what do you really even know about him? What's his favorite color, book, food, film?" Harry asked concerned.

"I don't know Harry, I just know that this feels right," Hermione said quietly, "I don't care too much about who he used to be. All that matters now is who he is. So what if I don't know everything about him, you didn't know Ginny was allergic to daisies until you two had been married for over a year!" By the time she was done speaking, her voice had reached a loud, high pitch.

"Calm down," He walked over and pulled her to sit next to him on the bed, "I'm just trying to make sure you are making the right choice Mione."

"Harry, I've never felt like this with anyone before. Not even Ron. I know that isn't saying much but I thought I was in love with Ron long before he liked me back." She explained quietly.

"Do you love Malfoy?" He asked putting an arm around her shoulders. She shook her head.

"Well, he is smart, and funny and kind and generous. We fight but he does his best not to undermine or demine me. You saw how good he has been with James and how much James adores him. Blaise and Pansy have been loyal to him since they were children, even though all the shit he pulled. I've never seen a house elf love her master as much as Addi does, and he loves her right back. Every time I'm around him I get butterflies and when he leaves they're still there, waiting for him to come back. But, no I don't love him yet, but I _can_ see myself loving him Harry." Hermione rushed out in one breath.

"I trust you Hermione," Harry said pulling her into a hug which she quickly reciprocated, "Merlin I'm going to miss you."

"Figure out how to get rid of Ron and you won't have to." She scoffed and pulled away slightly.

"I'm doing all that I can, to research ways to get rid of him." He said looking her dead in the eyes.

"You doing research? I don't believe it!" She joked.

"Shut up." He said pulling her back again. After several minutes, they pulled apart and headed out to the rest of the group. As soon as they returned to the living room James ran to Hermione and jumped into her arms.

"I'm gonna miss you Aunt Mione." He whimpered into her shoulder.

"I'm going to miss you too kiddo, but I'm sure it won't be too long until I see you again." She said rubbing his back. He sniffled and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek before wriggling out of her hold and running to the group of Slytherins.

"Take good care of Aunt Mione and give her lots of hugs and kisses so she doesn't get sad," he motioned for all of them to lean down and gave them each a kiss, "I'll see you guys soon." He then ran to Harry and grabbed his hand.

"Take care you three." Ginny said before walking over and giving them each a hug. Harry followed her but shook their hands and giving Pansy a small side hug.

"If you lot need anything just let us know." Harry said and they all nodded.

"Mione," Ginny said walking over with tears in her eyes and pulling her into the tightest hug she had ever experienced, "Be careful, and don't you dare forget to write me back again." She squeezed her again. Harry kissed the top of her head and led his family out through the floo with a small wave from James. They all stood there and stared for several minutes, even after the flames had dimmed from green to orange. All of the sudden Hermione let out a loud sob and ran towards her room.

"We'll head home, see you later Draco." Blaise said and smiling sympathetically before guiding Pansy out the floo. Draco took a deep breath and headed to Hermione's room.

"Mione?" He said quietly sticking his head into her room. The only response was a sniffle from under the mound of covers on the bed. He walked over and carefully placed himself next to her.

"May I come in?" He asked poking the covers and hitting what he assumed was her shoulder. After another sniff, the covers shifted and there was a space for him to crawl in. He slipped off his shoes and shimmed under the covers. Once he was fully under she dropped her arm and the covers settled around them trapping them in full darkness. He felt around blindly for a few seconds before finding her. She was in the fetal position so he pulled her closer and wrapped his body around hers.

"What's wrong?" He whispered into her ear.

"Nothing." She said with a sniff.

"You sure? Because I'm pretty sure you're lying to me." He said rubbing her arm.

"Nothing." She insisted with another sniff.

"Hermione," He said growing impatient, "you should know by now that you can trust me."

"I do trust you, I just don't want to talk about it." She sniffed. He just grunted in response and continued to rub her arm. After a few minutes and several hundred sniffs she cleared her throat.

"I miss them so much, they've not even been gone an hour yet and I miss them. Harry is the brother I never had. We went through so much together while at Hogwarts and during the war. Ginny was the only female friend I had in my life. There were other girls present but I never related to them like I did with Ginny. And James," She had to stop for a minute to keep herself from sobbing again, "I love them and I miss them so much but I resent them so much."

"Why?" He asked.

"They remind me of what I should have and what I don't. I wanted to have started a family by now with a job as a healer a nice little home close enough to visit my parents. I'll never have any of that though. I try not to think about it when I'm around them but the moment I'm not that's all I can think about." A small squeak escaped from her as she tried to control her sobs.

"Who's to say you can't? Just because it isn't happening the way you wanted it to, doesn't mean it never will." He said pulling her closer.

"I know that, and as often as I tell myself that, it doesn't help." She said.

"Well, think of it this way then. Would you rather still be with Ron trying to make things work? If you did ever manage to convince him to have red headed spawn, would you want them in that environment?" He asked.

"No," She sniffed and then let out a small giggle, "We would have had the ugliest kids."

"And as smart as you are, he is infinitely more stupid and that would be passed on." He continued.

"I don't think I could handle that," she said with one final sniff and turned to face him.

"Thank you." She whispered before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him softly.

"Mmm, now can we get out from under these covers? It's getting kind of hot." he said against her mouth. She kissed him again and flipped the covers off. They scooted up the bed and lay on the pillows facing each other.

"So Pansy and Blaise had an arranged marriage, were you supposed to have one?" She asked once they were settled.

"Unfortunately, yes. But fortunately it didn't happen. The thing with arranged marriages is that someone from the initial agreement has to be living or remember the agreement for it to be enforced. I was to marry Astoria Greengrass but both of her parents died during the war. The deal was made once Voldemort was brought back so that they could vouch for us and hopefully lessen our prison time." He explained.

"And that was during our fourth year so your mother doesn't remember it. What if she does get her memory back somehow and you've already married someone else?" She asked.

"Nothing, the marriage agreement would dissipate when I married someone else. Even if I wasn't married my mother wouldn't enforce it, she didn't want me to have it in the first place," he smiled, "she threw a fit when Lucius first brought it up. I thought she was going to burn the mansion down with the looks she would give him at dinner."

"This is a little of topic but, I've been wondering ever since that first night at dinner, what did happen to your inheritance Draco?" Hermione asked turning to him.

"Well, I put aside enough to pay for Mother's hospital bills and then once I had a stable job, donated the rest to the children's ward in the hospital Mother is at." Draco said.

"You donated your inheritance?" Hermione asked stunned.

"They were in desperate need of some repairs but didn't have the funds," Draco said shrugging, "all this reminds me. Lucius' paintings are being taken down on Sunday for cleaning. Would you like to go meet my Mother?"

* * *

 **A/N 2 As I lay in bed the other night I realized I made a huge blunder! I have Blaise as an Auror in the first few chapters, but a secret business man in the rest. I totally blanked and I deserve all punishments! So, I went back to chapter 2 and tweaked some things to remedy that fact. If you're like me and you're too lazy to go back and figure out what I changed, I will summarize it for you. Basically, Blaise was a part of a special Auror training group for people with past Death Eater ties who remained neutral or on the side of the Phoenix during the war. The point was to use their knowledge to quickly round up as many Death Eaters as possible as soon as possible. All Auror training was condensed to a few weeks and they were given assignments. Once they finished their assignments, they were allowed to either remain as an Auror or move on with their lives. Blaise obviously chose to move on. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused, I hope this has helped. I am notorious for changing my mind about details and forgetting I've done so. Please let me know if I make mistakes like this again!**


	10. Ch 10 Auxiliabor Tibi

**Deep In the Heart**

 **Chapter 10 Auxiliabor Tibi**

 **ForestOfRowan**

 **A/N I have not updated in forever but these last few months have been really rough. School is extremely stressful and I have been very depressed. I came to college to try it for a year, on my parent's request, and it's not the place for me. When I had the time to write, I had no motivation, and if I tried, I would send myself into a panic. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I needed to drop out and pursue my writing (which I wanted to do the whole time). I've dropped my stressful classes and now I'm dedicating my time to writing this, and writing my novel. I know I keep making excuses, I'm sorry. But I'm back on track.**

 **This is rated M for a reason, you have been warned.**

 **Disclaimer: Sorry Harry, I don't own ya.**

They spent the rest of the day in bed. Had sex only once, maybe twice, and went to bed full on Addi's cooking. Sunday morning rolled around, and Hermione and Draco stood in front of his floo, nervousness coiling in Hermione's gut.

"What if she doesn't like me?" Hermione muttered.

"It will be okay Mione," Draco said, giving her hand a squeeze, "Mother will love you."

"But what if she remembers me from something you may have sent in a letter to home first year. No doubt you complained to them about Harry Potter and his Mudblood friend to your parents," Hermione said, panic slowly growing, "If she remembers who I am, we will have to break up. I can't be the thing to rip the two of you apart. Whether we broke up or not though, she would tell Lucius, and we could be in danger. I don't want to break up, not just as we have started actually dating, because I really like you, but I don't want to get you in trouble. But it may just be worth it, either way we will be in huge danger an-" Draco grabbed her shoulders and turned them to face each other.

"Merlin's Beard, Hermione, you need to calm down," he said, holding back laughter, "deep breaths now." He pulled her into a tight hug and rubbed soothing circles on her back. Eventually, her breathing evened out, and she pulled away.

"Sorry, I didn't have time to be nervous up to now." She said with a grimace.

"It's alright," he said with a chuckle, "but really though, you don't have anything to be worried about. I never referred to you by your name in my letters. Plus, my mother never gave a shit about blood purity. As for Lucius, he can't do anything from the portrait that you can't handle. It doesn't matter though, because when he gets back, she will probably only mention I'm seeing someone, and he will just turn up his nose and not ask any questions." He hugged her again, and kissed the top of her head.

"That's good then," she said with a smile, "why do his portraits get taken away for cleaning anyway?" She asked.

"A feature of the ward is that no extra magic is used around Mother. There are no spells on his portraits too keep off dust so they have to be taken down and cleaned outside the ward every few weeks. I was wondering when you were going to ask. Ready?" Draco asked, and at her nod, took a handful of powder and led her through the floo.

Once on the other side, he guided her through the lobby to his mother's room. Along the way, he smirked to himself, noting how everyone seemed to have a huge weight lifted off their shoulders without Lucius' glare above their heads. They arrived at her room, and Draco gave Hermione a second to take a deep breath and prepare herself. She gave him a nod, and he gave the door a soft knock.

"Mother," he cracked the door open and stuck his head inside, "Mother, I've brought someone new by, is it alright if we come in?"

"Of course, dear, you don't have to ask," came a voice from inside, "Why do you insist on being so preposterously pretentious, my dear Dragon?" Draco took a step inside, Hermione following closely behind.

"I'm not being pretentious, Mother," he said with an eye roll, "I just didn't know how you were feeling." He stuck his nose up and crossed his arms in defiance.

"Of course," Narcissa gushed sarcastically, "but now you're being rude, Dragon. Are you not going to introduce me to your lovely friend?" Hermione's face grew hot as both of the Malfoy's attention was turned to her. Draco giving her a reassuring smile, and Narcissa looking at her curiously.

"I'm Hermione Granger, very nice to meet you. And his rudeness is entirely my fault, Mrs. Malfoy, he seemed to have read my mind that I'd introduce myself." Hermione said, stepping forward and offering her hand to Narcissa.

"Either way, quite embarrassing for him," Narcissa said with a wink, "good on you, he needs some humility." Narcissa took Hermione's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Please, call me Narcissa, Mrs. Malfoy was my mother-in-law," Narcissa said with a faux-shudder, "Please, have a seat you two, would you like something to drink?" Narcissa gestured to chairs, and Draco and Hermione pulled them over, shaking their heads.

"How are you feeling today, Mother?" Draco asked, once they were settled in their chairs.

"Fine, fine," Narcissa said with a wave of her hand, "now, enough about me, what brings the two of you here today?" She gave the two of them a knowing smirk as Draco cleared his throat.

"I just thought you would like to meet the witch I've started seeing." Draco said reaching over and taking Hermione's hand. Narcissa's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands in excitement.

"Oh, how exciting! I knew there was something going on. I'm assuming this is Herly?" Narcissa said with a smirk.

"Yes, this is Herly," Draco chuckled, "I had told Blaise and Pansy I didn't want people finding out about Hermione, so that the public would stay out of our business in case something ever did happen between the two of us. They misunderstood and thought I actually meant _everyone_." Narcissa chuckled and shook her head.

"They never were the most polished wands in the basket," Narcissa turned to Hermione, "Now, you're obviously not from Texas, how did you find your way here, and to Draco?"

"Well, it's an extremely long story. The short of it is there was nothing good for me in London, and I needed to get away. I had a job offer here and decided to take it. Somehow, I managed to get the apartment directly across from Draco's." Hermione explained.

"How long were you with the man you're running from?" Narcissa asked patting Hermione's knee.

"Mother!" Draco exclaimed, annoyed, jumping out of his seat.

"Its fine, Draco," Hermione said, pulling him back into his seat, "we were together a lot longer than I'd like to admit, and I thought I was in love with him for even longer. How did you know?" She asked Narcissa.

"Mothers just know," Narcissa said with a shrug, "now, did you two know each other before you came here? And how did all of this happen in the first place?" Narcissa looked like a child on Christmas, she was so excited.

"We knew each other from school, we were in the same year, but we were never exactly close." Draco said with a chuckle.

"The exact opposite in fact. I was in Gryffindor, _and_ the top of our class every year. We were rivals." Hermione said, grinning at Draco.

"Gryffindor, _really,_ I'm surprised Draco even let you be within four feet of him here!" Narcissa said, amused.

"Thankfully, I really didn't have much of a choice in the matter. She was in need of a washer on her first night, and Addi insisted I be friendly to her. Then we hit each other with doors a few times, Addi made us go out, we sang a few songs, and Pansy and Blaise forced us to spend time together." Draco said simply.

"Ah…that clears things up." Narcissa said uncertainly.

"It's extremely complicated, Narcissa, and it doesn't really matter now that we're together." Hermione said, grabbing Draco's hand again.

"I'm so happy for the two of you. And speaking of couples, how are Pansy and Blaise?" Narcissa asked. Draco and Hermione grinned at each other.

"Do you want to tell her?" Hermione asked.

"No, you go ahead, you're the reason it happened in the first place." Draco said.

"She is your mother, and you've been friends with them longer." Hermione replied.

"For the love of Merlin, one of you just tell me!" Narcissa exclaimed, frustrated.

"Hermione convinced Pansy to get over herself." Draco started.

"I wouldn't put it that way. We just talked about how I was willing to be with Draco after having such a disastrous relationship. She decided that it didn't matter what other people thought about their relationship." Hermione explained.

"See, so she got over herself." Draco said smugly. Hermione opened her mouth to argue again, but Narcissa held up her hand.

"Shut up and just tell me what is going on, please." Narcissa chastised.

"Blaise had previously bought them a home above a shop for Pansy." Draco started.

"They've moved in, and are getting married soon." Hermione finished excitedly. Narcissa grinned broadly.

"Finally. I knew that they would end up together eventually, I'm glad it happened sooner rather than later, though." Narcissa said with a sigh before yawning.

"Are you getting tired, Mother?" Draco asked concerned.

"Just a bit, yes. Your father was up all night complaining about the cleaning, as usual, you know how he is." Narcissa said, her exhaustion becoming evident.

"Well, we better get going then and let you rest." Draco said, standing up.

"I hate for you two to leave, but I would like to rest, yes." Narcissa said. Draco leaned over and kissed Narcissa on the forehead. Hermione stood up to follow Draco.

"Hermione, dear, wait, may I speak to you privately for a moment?" Narcissa asked. Hermione sat back down, Draco giving her a reassuring smile, and shutting the door behind him.

"Hermione, I know you haven't told me everything, but I can tell there is a lot about your past you're not willing to share. I'm alright with that, but I just want you to know, I'm always open to talk if you need it. Come by and visit, or write to me whenever you need to. You're a long way from home, I can be your mother-away-from-mother, so to speak. Regardless if you and my son stay together, or not, you will always have our support and protection."

"Thank you so much, Narcissa, that means so much more to me than you could possibly know." Hermione said, tearing up. Hermione went over, and gave Narcissa an awkward but warm hug before walking out into the hallway.

"What was that about?" Draco asked, taking her hand and leading her back to the floo.

"Just giving me her approval." Hermione said with a grin.

"Good, see, I told you that there was nothing to worry about." Draco said, smiling proudly as they walked back into his apartment. They plopped onto the couch, and she cuddled into his side.

"So, what did you think of her?" Draco asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"What do you mean 'what did I think'? She is fantastically lovely, am I supposed to think something else?" Hermione laughed.

"No, just making sure. She obviously likes you." He chuckled. After a few minutes, Hermione sat up and turned to Draco.

"I think you need to tell her the truth, Draco." Hermione said flatly.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, confused.

"You need to tell your mother the truth about everything that happened." Hermione said slowly.

"Not happening." Draco chuckled, pulling her close to him again.

"And why not?" Hermione asked, pulling away, aggravated.

"Because, there is no reason to. Ignorance is bliss, right?" Draco scoffed.

"What do you mean there is no reason? There are plenty of reasons, Draco!" Hermione said bossily.

"And what are those reasons, pray tell?" Draco snapped.

"For one, not having to lie anymore." Hermione said, holding up a finger.

"Never been a problem before, beautiful." Draco said with an eye roll.

"Doesn't mean it shouldn't be a problem now," she said growing angry, and putting up a second finger, "secondly, I want to help her, and I can't well do that with your father there! If she knew the truth, he would be gone. Plus for you, because he would be gone, plus for your mother, because then I could better help find a cure."

"Yes, because you're doing so much already." He rolled his eyes, again.

"Excuse me," She said, standing up angrily, "I haven't had much of a chance to, especially considering you wouldn't let me leave bed up until this morning."

"I didn't hear you complaining," He said with a smirk, "anything else?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," she stomped her foot, "telling the truth is what's best for your mother. I'm sure she would much rather know the truth than to have you lie to her." Draco stood up, obviously getting angry as well, and got in Hermione's face.

"And you know what's best for my mother, then?" He asked loudly.

"It seems I know better than you do!" Hermione said back, louder. Just then, the knocking from below started, but neither of them seemed to notice.

"Excuse me?" He yelled, "You know nothing! You don't know anything about her condition. She isn't strong enough to handle the truth, it would crush her!"

 _Knock, knock, knock._

"She seemed fine to me," Hermione yelled back, "and she dealt with everything that went on during and after the war. She is a strong woman. You just don't want to admit to her that you lied for so long."

 _Knock, knock, knock, knock._

"She isn't the same woman anymore! She was fine today, but most days, she is far from it!"

 _Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock._

"THEN LET ME HELP HER! DRACO, TELL HER THE TRUTH!" Hermione screamed.

 _KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK._

"WHY DOES THIS MATTER SO MUCH TO YOU?" Draco screamed back.

 _KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK._

"BECAUSE SHE IS YOUR MOTHER, DRACO, AND I CARE ABOUT YOU. AND I CARE ABOUT YOUR HAPPINESS. IF SHE ISN'T WELL, YOU'RE NOT TRULY HAPPY. BECAUSE I WANT US TO HAVE A FUTURE, AND I REFUSE TO HAVE A MOTHER-IN-LAW WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHO I REALLY AM, OR WHO SHE REALLY IS!" Hermione screamed before covering her mouth, a panicked look in her eyes.

"Not saying that we will get married? I mean, unless that is what you would want. Not saying that's what I want. I mean, it'd be great. But that doesn't mean it should happen. Not for a while though. Like, a long while, probably. But sti-" Her ranting was stopped as something smooshed hard against her mouth. It took her a moment to realize it was Draco's mouth against hers. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she reciprocated anyway.

She reached up, threaded her fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp, and pulled his hair lightly. He moaned hotly into her mouth, and grabbed her hips, pulling her closer to him. Still hyped up from being angry, Hermione reached down and roughly pulled his hand up to her breast. Obviously still angry as well, he started palming it forcefully with the hand she had moved, and pulled her even closer against him with his other hand. Her hands trailed down from his hair, scratching down his neck and over his nipples, causing him to shudder and moan loudly. He broke away, and pulled his wand out of his pocket.

" _Incendio,"_ He said, pointing his wand at the fireplace, causing flames to jump up, and instantly heat the room.

He pulled her to him again, continuing the kiss. Together, they sunk into the carpet, Draco pulling her into his lap. Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist, and began to grind against the bulge in his pants. They both moaned loudly.

The knocking had stopped, that fact lost on the pair, more than it had been when it started.

"I'm still angry at you." She moaned hotly into his ear

"And I'm still angry at you." He said, biting her ear lobe.

"You know I'm right though." She gasped, as he lay them down, and flipped on top of her.

"We're not talking about that anymore, dear." He said pulling her dress and bra off in one swift, and magically assisted, movement.

"Why not, I'm known for multi-tasking." She said, grabbing her wand, and sending his clothes off to who knows where.

"Because I'm not concerned about this anymore. Time for both of us to stop talking." He said, pulling off her underpants, throwing them behind him. He kissed her again, reaching down and feeling that she was already dripping wet. Just to make sure, he slipped two fingers in, and started pumping in and out.

"Oh Merlin, Draco, I know you're trying to be thorough, but just fucking fuck me." Hermione practically yelled. Draco simply chuckled and kissed her on the nose. Without any warning, he thrust into her, both of them letting out strangled yells. There was no pomp and circumstance about it. Draco rutted endlessly into Hermione, causing both of them to let out endless streams of load moans. Hermione had reached in between them, and started rubbing herself, causing her to yell louder. In just a few short minutes, both of them were screaming out their release.

After cleaning up, they lay curled together in front of the fire.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, and trying to order you on what to do about your mother." Hermione said softly.

"It's alright, I'm sorry as well. You were just trying to advise me on how to improve my life," he nuzzled her neck, "I'll think about everything you said."

"Good." She sighed. They both settled into a comfortable silence, basking in the heat and the afterglow.

But they were startled out of their dazed state, someone was banging on the door.


	11. Ch 11 Ostium

**Deep In the Heart**

 **ForestOfRowan**

 **Chapter 11 Ostium**

 **A/N I'm back! Thank you all so much for your support and patience through this awful process. Now that my computer is working again (I managed to recover my character list and general outline!) I'm going to try and post at least every other week. I've started cosmetology school and am there from 8 A.M to 5 P.M so I don't have an excessive amount of time to write. On top of that, I'm now trying to plan my wedding so, I'm going to try my very hardest. Please write reviews, it helps to have y'all's feedback on how I'm doing. ALSO please let me know if I've messed up any details or screwed up the time line! It's been awhile and I don't remember all the details!**

"Hello? I know you're in there." Came the muffled voice from the other side of the door. Hermione and Draco sat up and looked at each other confused.

"Who the hell is that?" Draco whispered, blindly reaching behind him for his wand.

"This is _your_ apartment, how would I know?" She whispered back, finding her wand first and summoning their clothes to them. They rushed to put them on, accidently hitting one another once or twice in the process. There was another knock at the door. Hermione cast a quick _scourgify_ on them both and sat on the couch as Draco got up and cracked open the door.

"Can I help you?" She heard him ask. When there was no answer, just an odd scuffing noise, Hermione turned around. An old lady in bright robes and something in her hands, was trying to push past Draco into the apartment.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Draco said, his arms straining as he held onto the door and its frame to block the woman's entrance.

"Trynn'a get in. Do you know nothin about hospitality young man? If you have a guest, you invite them in." The woman replied with a heavy drawl Hermione had most certainly heard before. Hermione stood up and walked over to Draco and peaked over his shoulder. Hermione in fact did know the woman; it was the lady with the cat litter that helped her from the store.

"Dra-" Hermione started.

"Get back Mione. Miss, I don't particularly like having strange old women in my home." Draco said icily trying to shut the door. The woman stopped pushing on Draco and gave him the most menacing glare Hermione had ever seen.

"You might want to take that back young man." She said turning her glare into an Umbridge like grin.

"Draco!" Hermione said loudly, "stop being a git and let her in!" Draco turned his glare to Hermione. The woman took advantage of him being distracted and bustled into the apartment.

"Thanks so much for letting me in. My ol' knees weren't going to hold me, or this cake, up much longer. You are strong for the scrawny little thing you are." She dropped a chocolate sheet cake down onto the coffee table and plopped onto the couch. Hermione and Draco looked at each other confused.

"Why was I to let her in?" Draco asked Hermione.

"Because it's polite." The lady answered.

"I wasn't asking you." he snapped to her, "Go away."

"Draco, stop." Hermione said slapping him lightly on the arm.

"Why, I know you!" the woman said excitedly to Hermione, "You were the young lady at the store I helped who was almost crushed by all the tampons." the woman said followed by a howling cackle. Hermione felt her face go beet red and Draco turned to her with a smirk on his face.

"What's this about getting crushed by tampons?" He said stifling a laugh.

"Nothing we need to talk about," Hermione said quickly before turning back to the woman.

"I thought I recognized you. But how and why are you here, and why with a cake?"

"And who are you?" Draco asked with a slight glare.

"Oh fiddlesticks, I'm sorry for not introducing myself. I just got so excited to put faces to the yells." She said with another cackle, "I'm Emily Ace. I live in the combined apartments on the floor below the two of you."

"Oh, you're the one who is always banging on the ceiling." Draco said sounding a little annoyed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I wouldn't have to bang on the ceiling if the two of you weren't always yelling and making so much noise. It disturbs my cats." She said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms with a pout.

"Oh, we are incredibly sorry Miss Ace. You see, Draco and I have known each other for an extremely long time and haven't always gotten along." Hermione said embarrassed.

"Please, call me Emily, June Bug. And the two of you obviously get along now." Emily said with a smirk and a wink.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Hermione stuttered, nervously glancing at Draco.

"You two don't yell so much anymore." Emily said. Hermione and Draco gave a small sigh of relief.

"That and make-up-sex on the floor usually doesn't signal 'not getting along'" She cackled. They both blanched and Emily cackled harder.

"My oh my," she said wiping tears from her eyes, "no need to be embarrassed. I'm not some virgin school girl. I've been round the block since before the two of you were born."

"I still don't understand why you're here." Draco coughed, trying to gain some control on the conversation.

"I brought cake to celebrate the hopeful end of all the damn yelling round here," Emily said and with a swish of her wand, summoned plates and silverware from the kitchen, "Now you two sit down and have some cake and conversation with an old woman." Emily said patting the spots next to her on the couch. Hermione hesitantly slid over to the couch and sat on Emily's left. Draco huffed and sat as far away from Emily as he could in the left arm chair.

"So, you said you two have known each other for a long time?" Emily said, serving Hermione a piece of cake.

"Yes, we went to school together but were in rival houses." Hermione said.

"Let me guess, he was in Slytherin and you my dear were a Gryffindor." Emily said giving Draco his cake. Hermione glared at him when he cast a poison detecting charm before taking a small bite.

"Yes, how do you know about Hogwarts houses?" Draco asked after swallowing.

"At Ilvermorny, I was a Pukwudgie myself, I took a class on foreign schools," Emily said proudly, "you two are a long way from home, what brings y'all to Texas?" Hermione coughed uncomfortably and Draco shoved a large bite of cake into his mouth.

"This cake is very good, thank you for bringing it." Hermione said after a few seconds.

"Touchy subject I see. But you're welcome anyway June Bug." Emily said with a pat to Hermione's knee.

"Well, thanks for the cake, guess we will see you around Miss Ace." Draco said putting his plate on the table and standing up. Emily sat back into the couch and raised an eyebrow at Draco. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to Emily. Behind her, she heard Draco sit back down with a huff.

"So what is it that you do Emily?" Hermione asked.

"Oh a little bit of this and a little bit of that." Emily said with a flip of her hand. Draco snorted, causing Emily to glare at him. "I have been retired for a great many years, but before I was a healer."

"Oh, that sounds fantastic. I've always had an interest healing myself," Hermione gushed, "did you have any specialty?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was once the most recognized and accomplished rare and odd magical maladies healer that the world had to offer. I would even say I'm still the top." Emily said with a shrug. Emily and Draco were both startled when Hermione made an almost painful gasping noise.

"Wait, you're _THAT_ Emily Ace? Why didn't I make that connection? Draco, this is fantastic!" Hermione yelled jumping up off the couch, out the door, and to her apartment.

"She is quite the spit-fire isn't she?" Emily said with a chuckle.

"You have no idea," Draco said with a slight groan, "what is she so excited about?"

"I guess we'll find out when she gets back." Emily said. Just then, there was a crash from across the hall. They both jumped up and ran into 221A.

"Mione, are you okay?" Draco yelled skidding into the room to find Hermione on the floor covered in a pile of books.

"Oh my," Emily exclaimed, summoning the books back to the shelf, "you alright June Bug?"

"What the hell is a June Bug?" Draco asked helping Hermione off the floor, which was difficult because she had the most massive book he had ever seen.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. And a June Bug is a large brown, scarab beetle that appears in late spring and early summer. I think she is using it as a term of endearment though." Hermione said plopping the book on the coffee table, next to another comically large tome, and dusting herself off.

"What happened?" Draco asked her, feathering his fingers all over her face checking for any damage.

"I said I was fine Draco," she said swatting him off, "the book was on the top shelf, in my attempt to reach it, I knocked over the rest of the books."

"You are a witch, aren't you June Bug?" Emily asked laughing.

"See, even crazy people think you're crazy!" Draco said waving his arms with a flourish.

"Oh stop being dramatic," Hermione said with an eye-roll, "Now, back to the more important business at hand." Hermione said, opening the book and rapidly leafing through the pages.

"Mione, what is going on?" Draco asked becoming concerned with the intense look in her eyes.

" _Emily Ace, American Healer from Louisiana. Attended Ilvermorny. Declined to provide birth date. Quickly rose to the top of the Magical Maladies field, with an interest in odd, rare and, supposedly, incurable curse, dark magic, and muggle related illnesses. Within a matter of years, she discovered how to heal_ _previously perilous problems such as,_ Tumor Naso ( _excessive nose swelling ending in rupture)_ Oculus Putrescat ( _eyes emitting a foul odor)_ Magicae Arcu ( _tumors caused by excessive use and production of dark potions) and acne,_ " Hermione read from the book before snapping it shut, "Draco, don't you see what this means?"

"Not really Mione." Draco said.

"I don't really quite see either June Bug." Emily said shaking her head. Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed, frustrated.

"Draco, if anyone could find a cure for Narcissa, its Emily. Draco, there is something we can do for her!" Hermione said gesturing to the older woman.

"Merlin's beard." Draco gasped, looking wide-eyed at Emily before sitting on the couch and resting his head in his hands. Hermione walked over and put her arm around his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Emily asked looking between the two of them.

"Emily, please help us." Hermione pleaded.

"June Bug, I don't even know what's going on!" Emily said sitting next to the pair.

"Tell her Draco." Hermione said giving his shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

"My Mother is very ill Miss Ace. Before my _father,_ " he spat out the word, "died, he cursed my mother. She was already very ill, but the curse made it worse. That's why I moved here. My mother needed the best help she could receive, but she isn't getting much better."

"Oh my dear, I'm so sorry," Emily reached over and put her hand on his knee. "What was the curse?"

" _Infirmus Defensionem."_ Draco muttered angrily. Emily recoiled her hand in shock and leaned away from Draco, fear in her eyes.

"Yo-you said the man who did this is dead, correct?" Emily rasped out in a whisper, her voice shaking.

"Yes." Draco growled, clenching his fists. Hermione squeezed his shoulders again, not letting up on the pressure until he relaxed a little.

"Good, I'd hate to meet the bastard who could conjure enough hatred and lunacy to cast that curse," Emily sighed in relief, finally returning to a normal sitting position. "Over the years, it has been found that the casters death plays a part in the cure. It allows healers to stabilize the inflicted, prolonging their lifespan."

"Can you help us Emily?" Hermione asked.

"Well June Bug, I can try, but I'm going to go ahead and not make any promises," Emily sighed, stood up, and started pacing in front of the fireplace. "As y'all probably already know, _Infirmus Defensionem_ is one of the medical curses with the least known about it, due to how rare and dangerous it is."

"Yes, yes, you don't need to tell us things we already know." Draco snapped.

"Calm down Draco." Hermione said letting go of him to pinch his arm.

"It's alright June Bug," Emily gave them a small smile, "there has only ever been one recorded case of successful treatment. It was in the time of Merlin, so not much is recorded on how it happened. What we do know is, a very young potion master by the name of Jarin The Jilted fell in love with a wizard well below his own station. Although homosexual relationships weren't unheard of at the time, old families highly frowned upon them. Much like y'all's pureblood elite view on Muggleborns today. Jarin was using his share of the family fortune to pay for his lover to get medical treatment for some unknown illness. Well, when Jarin's father found out, he was furious, not only about the nature of their relationship, but also because of how lowly the lover was. He confronted Jarin, and when Jarin told his father he was planning on running away with the man, his father snapped. He sought out the lover and cursed him, knowing that it would result in him not being able to recover."

"How awful." Hermione said, tears in her eyes. Draco reached over to hold her hand, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Jarin felt the same way, and poisoned his father's food soon after. That leads us to the one thing we know about a cure for the curse."

"Death," Draco said almost hopefully, "we've got that down though, what is our next step?"

"I'm getting there, but don't get your hopes up young man," Emily said with a sympathetic smile. "It took a great many years before Jarin figured out the cure. Along the way the two moved into Jarin's family home, turning most of it into a lab. The two had several children together, even grandchildren came along before he found the cure."

"Wait," Hermione interrupted confused, "how was the two of them having children possible?"

"Hermione, you're telling me you're one of the brightest witches ever, and have read more books than should truly be possible, and you have never come across male pregnancy potions?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Hermione said astounded. "So, you're telling me that if you were inclined to do so, you could get pregnant, right here, right now?" Hermione's voice had risen in pitch, showing her excitement. The whole time, Emily wasn't sure if she should laugh or not, the look on Hermione's face was so dumb-struck, an odd look on her. It seemed as if parts of her world were slowly falling apart. What finally did Emily in was the utterly terrified look on Draco's face, and the fact it was slowly turning purple as he spluttered trying to figure out what was going on.

"Slow down June Bug, I think you're about to give your man there and ailment I'm not sure I can fix." Emily said cackling loudly.

"I wasn't implying that you should Draco, Merlin's Beard," Hermione giggled, "I'm just curious. I can't believe I've never heard of it before." Draco was slowly turning back to his normal color, and managed to find his voice.

"I'm surprised too, it probably has to do with the fact that it's not really a commonly used practice anymore." Draco explained, "It was mainly used in older times when children died at young ages and breeding was at its utmost importance. If Astoria Greengrass wasn't in the picture, I would dare to think that Lucius would have tried to have me use that potion myself."

"Slimy git." Hermione muttered.

"As much as I agree with you June Bug, I'd like to continue with my story." Emily said, "Now, about 30 years after the curse was put on the lover, Jarin found the cure. Soon after, in order to thank Jarin, the ungrateful bastard left him, for a woman no less. Out of anger, Jarin hid the cure in an obscure piece of literature, in a book where only one copy was ever made. The true nature of the cure not marked or identifiable. He betrothed the book to his grandchildren, and them to theirs and so on."

"So where is the book now?" Draco asked becoming impatient.

"Sorry hun, but unfortunately, no one knows. There has been some speculation along the way about who might be the descendants." Emily said frowning.

"Bugger, even if we managed to find them, it isn't likely that they've still got it in their possession." Hermione groaned in frustration.

"So there is nothing we can do? What was the point of all this?" Draco practically yelled, trying to repress the surge of anger and sadness that were threatening to break loose.

"I'm sorry dears, but that's all that I know on the subject. I wish I could be more help. But as Hermione said, the book is probably long gone. Not that we even know what the book was!" Emily said rushing forward and suffocating the top half of Draco in a large embrace.

"Mmausidof," Draco struggled to get out of her grasp, eventually managing to free his face with a gasp, "Mione, a little help here please." Hermione was lost in her own world, deep in thought.

"Mione?" Draco asked, concerned. Emily pulled away and looked at Hermione curious. Suddenly, she jumped off the couch and pushed past the worried pair to the fireplace.

"What's going on Hermione?" Draco asked following her as she reached for the floo powder. Hermione continued to ignore him as she threw the powder into the hearth and stuck her head in. Draco rolled his eyes and walked to stand back with Emily.

"I hope you had no ideals of having her as an obedient housewife young man." Emily said with a smirk and a snort.

"Hermione won't be ready for that kind of commitment for a very long time." Draco scoffed.

"Ah, but obviously you are. Don't worry, I'll keep that between you and me." Emily said with a wink.

"Wha-" Draco said, ready to argue with the old woman. He was interrupted when Hermione stood up and finally turned her attention to them.

"Come on now, we're flooing over to Omnes; Hawthorne said he would meet us there." Hermione said and without waiting for a reply, stepped through the floo.

"I never said I was ready you know." Draco said to Emily as they moved towards the floo.

"Oh honey." She simpered, patting him on the arm and following Hermione through the floo.

"I'm surrounded by crazy women." Draco groaned as he followed them. He stepped through into a dusty bookstore to find Hermione held in a tight embrace by a large muscular man. Draco cleared his throat, uncomfortable with how close his girlfriend and this man's bodies were. They separated, but were still standing close together.

"Oh, Draco, this is my boss Hawthorne. Hawthorne, this is Emily Ace and Draco. His mother is the one I was telling you about." Hermione said.

"Nice to meet you Draco; I'm sorry to hear about your mother." Hawthorne said, stepping forward, hand extended. Draco crossed his arms and ignored the other man.

"Why are we here?" Draco said dryly, looking around the man to Hermione.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione scoffed.

"No." Draco and Emily said in unison. Hermione sighed in slight frustration.

"Omnes is a rare and single addition bookstore, practically the only one of its kind! If we are going to find the book with the cure, this is the best place to start!" Hermione said excitedly.

"June Bug, you smart cookie you!" Emily said rushing forward and pinching her cheeks.

"Smart and beautiful, how did we get so lucky to be blessed by such a perfect creature?" Hawthorne said laughing, patting Hermione on the top of her head, grinning affectionately.

"Hey, get your hands off her!" Draco snapped, walking over and poking the man in the chest. "Hate to break it to you mate, but she is spoken for. And I don't appreciate what is going on between the two of you. So keep your mitts off, stop giving her those looks, and stop with all the sweet talk. You're getting nothing from her, so back off." Hermione was red faced, and if Draco wasn't so angry himself, he would have noted she was not embarrassed but angry. Hawthorne stood there awkwardly, and Emily's gaze kept darting between each party. Everyone stood in silence as Draco huffed, trying to calm down. Finally Hawthorne broke the tension with a snort that turned into a chuckle and finally a full on rolling laugh.

"You think that I'm interesting in Hermione? That's ludicrous, no offence doll." He spluttered. "Draco, I am happily married, and if there were to be anyone in this room I was interested in, it would be you and you're very finely clad ass." Emily joined him in his laughter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco asked confused and slightly embarrassed.

"He's gay Draco." Hermione growled. Hawthorne and Emily started laughing harder, holding onto each other for support.

"But, he was all over you." Draco muttered, now fully embarrassed.

"I'm just effectionant doll-face, can't help it," Hawthorne said drying his eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. But really, you can't blame me for assuming you were trying to snog my girlfriend." Draco snorted.

"It's getting late. Emily, Hawthorne, we had better put off getting started till tomorrow." Hermione said before grabbing Draco's arm and dragging him towards the floo, "Come on Draco." She pulled him through the floo back into her apartment, shutting down the floo behind her.

"What the hell was that?" She yelled whipping around to face him.

"What are you mad about? I was trying to defend you." Draco said nonchalantly, examining his fingernails.

"I don't need defending Draco Malfoy," Hermione stomped, "that was utterly mortifying! You're lucky I didn't hex you."

"Look, I'm sorry Hermione," Draco reached out and grabbed her arms gently. "I just didn't like the way he was acting."

"Do you not trust me?" She covered his hands with hers.

"That's not it at all. I do trust you. I just don't trust myself," he led them to the couch. "I know I'm going to mess up this relationship in someway. You're too good and pure, and I'm too...well, not, for me not to mess this up. Seeing the two of you like that made me think of what is going to happen when I do eventually mess up. It was almost like the two of you being close would speed up that process."

"Oh Draco, I am nowhere near pure, and you're probably more good than I am. You may mess up, but so will I along the way. But, we will work through it together." She leaned in and kissed him.

"Hermione, thank you for all you're doing to help my mother." Draco said pulling them down to lay closely together on the couch.

"Of course Draco. And tomorrow, I will start doing all that I can to help you." Hermione felt Draco smile against her neck as she felt herself drift off.


	12. Ch 12 Me Inveniet Eam

**Deep in the Heart**

 **ForestOfRowan**

 **Chapter 12 Me Inveniet Eam**

 **A/N I hope you all enjoyed last chapter, I think it was my favorite to write thus far! These few weeks in the life, wedding planning, no data or Wi-Fi, PokemonGo, surprise visit from Addi (the cousin, not the house elf), visiting grandparents, my fiancé's weird allergy rash, wigs and hair cutting! In case you haven't already noticed, the story is starting to pick up, so buckle your seatbelts.**

 **Disclaimer: Not only do I not own Harry Potter, I technically only own Hawthorne and Asher. Everyone is either owned by Rowling, or is a real person! Sad day!**

The Burrow:

Sunday's at the Burrow tended to follow a pattern. The whole clan would arrive. Although, Ron was no longer invited due to his rampage earlier in the month. The family would gorge themselves on a massive meal cooked by Molly. Then, George and Harry would take the kids outside for a game or two of Quidditch, or Catch the Garden Gnome. Eventually the kids would tire out and be put upstairs for a nap. The adults would retire to the living room with Butter Beer to talk. This Sunday was no different.

The children were all asleep, and the adults were talking quietly.

"Arthur, I promise you, American muggle footballs are not charmed." Harry said exasperated.

"Son, I can promise you that they are. There is absolutely no way a non-charmed item can be kicked or thrown at the distance and height that they are. Ergo, they must be charmed." Arthur said proudly. Harry was about to reply, when the floo activated. Everyone turned to see what was going on. Someone stomped out of the floo, and immediately began pacing the room.

"Ronald, what are you doing here?" Molly asked, blocking his path.

"I'll show them, the bastards. How dare they?" He muttered, taking a step around her as if she wasn't there.

"Ronald, your mother asked you a question." Arthur said crossly.

"Good for her then." Ron snapped, not stopping his pacing.

"Excuse me?" Molly practically whispered. Ron stopped pacing and stood, fuming, with his back to the floo.

"They kicked me off the team for no reason. Said it was for misconduct on and off the field. Absolute dragon shit." Ron yelled with a childish stomp of his foot.

"Calm down, Ron, it will be alright, mate." George said stepping forward and putting a hand on his arm.

"Piss off, George, none of us dared say that to you when your brother was stupid enough to go and get himself blown up." Ron said, swatting his brother's hand away.

"Don't talk about Uncle Fred like that." Teddy, with ginger hair and a face of freckles, said from the stairs.

"Teddy, go back upstairs." Harry said urgently, but softly to the young boy.

"Yeah, Teddy, go upstairs where no one has to see your pathetic, little, unwanted face. This is a conversation for people others actually enjoy." Ron said mockingly.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, that's enough." Molly shrieked, hands on her hips.

"Shut up, cunt." Ron said, rolling his eyes. Molly staggered back, her face stark white. Arthur and Harry rushed behind her for fear she was going to pass out. Everyone had jumped to their feet with their wands drawn.

"Ferme la bouche. Ronald vous êtes un beurre tête!" Fleur screamed and ran towards him, fearlessly getting in his face, her finger digging into his chest.

"Comment osez-vous parler à ta mère de cette façon? Vous êtes une honte pour cette famille. Vous ne devriez jamais avoir été né, de cette façon, votre famille n'auraient pas tant souffrir. Avez-vous aucun respect pour personne? Vous maltraiter votre famille, votre mère, votre putes, Hermione. Vous êtes la raison pour laquelle elle a disparu. Je devrais slice out vos yeux. T'as une tête a faire sauter les plaques d'egouts! Tu es betes comme tes pieds. Tu es completement débile. Tu es con. Tu es un putain. Vous avez le corps d'un chien et le QI d'une durée de cinq ans. Brûle en enfer" She was screaming in his face, not even Bill had ever seen her so angry. With a final, unintelligible shriek, she shoved Ron into the floo.

"I'm going to find her, and she will never leave me again!" He shouted as he fell through, disappearing in a swirl of green flames.

"Il est stupide." She said with finality, dusting off her hands.

"Where did you send him?" Billy finally asked quietly, stepping forward and placing an arm around his fuming wife.

"No clue." She said with a shrug, returning to her seat.

"I'll send a letter to Minister Kingsley right away to see if someone can check the logs and find him." Percy said running off to get an owl.

"I hope they don't find him." Ginny muttered to Harry, sitting back down.

"Same." Harry said before turning to the stairs. "Come here, Teddy." Teddy ran down the stairs and into Harry's open arms. His hair turned from bright orange to black and his freckles disappeared.

"Is he gone forever, Uncle Harry?" Teddy asked quietly.

"No, but we will not let him near you again, Teddy." Harry said, rubbing his back.

"I don't care about that, Uncle Harry." Teddy said lifting his head and looking dead in Harry's eyes. "I just don't want him to find Aunt Mione." All the adults turned their attention to the young boy, and shared somber looks.

Translation for the French (I used translator so I'm sorry for anyone who actually speaks French): "Shut your mouth. Ronald you are a butter head! How dare you speak to your mother that way? You are an utter disgrace to this family. You should never have been born, that way your family wouldn't suffer so much. Have you no respect for anybody? You mistreat your family, your mother, your whores, Hermione. You're the reason she is gone. I should slice out your eyes. You've got a face that would blow off manhole covers! You are as smart as the bottom of your feet. You're a complete moron. You're an idiot. You're a slut. You have the body of a dog and the IQ of a five year old. Burn in hell."

"He is stupid."


	13. Ch 13 Et Temporum Consilia

Deep in the Heart

ForestOfRowan

Chapter 13 Et Temporum Consilia

A/N Hey everybody! I'm back from my break to post this chapter. I may be gone for a little bit after I post this, as Rou and I are getting married VERY soon (Like in two months). Since I last posted, I graduated cosmetology school, few days ago actually, which is my primary reason for not posting. The other main reason is that Rou and I have been reading Harry Potter. It's my first time re-reading in years, and his first time reading it period (Rou: he's in love with it, of course). I am now very ready to start posting again. Love y'all.

*POP*

Hermione woke with a start, looking around frantically. She was in her now dark apartment, Draco sleeping on the couch behind her. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but something had woken her. As she was about to settle back down, there was another loud pop. She turned her head just as the floo roared to life.

Hermione jumped to her feet and drew her wand, Draco doing the same, despite being sound asleep mere seconds before.

"Whas goin' on?" He drawled, trying to stay alert.

"I know just about as much as you do right now." said Hermione, inching slowly towards the fireplace.

"Didn't you close it off when we got back?" He asked, edging after her.

"I thought I did, I was a little distracted at the time," she said with a pointed look at Draco.

"My eyes are closed, just in case. You there, 'Mione?" yelled Ginny, her head popping out of the flames.

"I'm right here, Ginny, you can open your eyes." Hermione chuckled, and Ginny's eyes opened with a grin.

"Awh, I'm almost disappointed that you're both fully clothed." She said with a frown.

"I can undress for you, if you like?" Draco said, yawning, pocketing his wand and returning to the couch.

"You know I'd normally love the show, but I actually really need to talk to you two about something." Ginny said, her tone swiftly going from playful to dead Sirius.

"What's going on, Ginny?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"Nothing is strictly wrong per-say, but I figured that you would want to know right away," Ginny said with a grimace, "Ron was fired from the Cannons this afternoon."

"Oh, well, that's good for them, I guess. What finally did him in?" Hermione asked, trying to keep her tone even.

"Misconduct on and off the field. 'On the field' is a very loose term though, considering he rarely showed up anymore," Ginny said with a snort before a glint of fear flashed in her eyes, "'Mione, he was off his rocker before, but he has become totally ballistic."

"What do you mean?" Hermione practically whispered through the lump that had formed in her throat, bile slowly rising to meet it.

"We were all at the Burrow, it was a normal Sunday, so we were all sitting around talking. Then, Ron came storming through the floo, yelling about how he got fired. George tried to calm him down and Ron made an off colored comment about Fred. Teddy tried to step in, we didn't even know he was there. Ron told Teddy he was an unlovable orphan. When Mum tried to step in, Ron called her a cunt, and simply rolled his eyes when she got angry at him. She almost passed out 'Mione!" Ginny said, tears forming in her eyes. The other things were awful, yes, but no one dared to call Molly Weasley any sort of name, least of all roll their eyes at her.

"What happened next?" Hermione asked, growing angrier by the second.

"Fleur happened next," Ginny said, admiration coloring her voice, "she turned bright red and got all up in Ron's face, screeching in French, and then shoved him into the floo. None of us know where she sent him, not even her!" Hermione and Ginny dissolved into a fit of giggles before Ginny shook her head and got serious again.

"I tell you all this to get to the actual reason I called you," Ginny, the bravest witch of her age, actually sounded frightened, "'Mione, the last thing he said was 'I'm going to find her, and she will never leave me again.'"

"That moron thinks that he can find her all the way out here?" Draco snapped sarcastically from the couch, "Although, he might be right considering the fact you have a bloody open floo connection he can access. He may be the most idiotic person on the planet, but he knows you and Harry know where Hermione is. You're obviously just as stupid as your brother." Draco's voice had risen several levels in volume and he'd risen from the couch, grabbing Hermione's arms.

"Stop it, Draco!" Hermione said, slapping his chest. "You think I would be stupid enough to let there be an open connection? She and Harry have a password so only they can get through." Draco let go of Hermione and vigorously rubbed his face.

"From the sound of it, he's deranged enough to do anything to get information about you, including a dingy password for a floo. You think he wouldn't threaten James to get that information." Draco yelled in Hermione's face.

"Ron doesn't even have access to our house anymore, Draco," Ginny said sadly, "And if you think for one second we would let him near our son anymore, you're just as deranged as he is."

"In any case, they're under a Fidelius charm in case anything like that did happen. The password is my birthday, and the charm is modified so that, if in an emergency, all they can say is the password is my birthday." Hermione yelled.

"What kind of moronic password is that? Your birthday? The two of you have been involved for most of your lives, and you think he wouldn't know your birthday?" Draco started laughing, he couldn't believe how stupid they were being, surely it had to be a joke.

"Of course he doesn't bloody know my birthday, Draco." Hermione said stomping her foot, tears forming in her eyes. Draco took a step back and stared at her wide eyed.

"Ronald used to be the biggest part of my life, and he knows NOTHING about me. I could have made the bloody password anything. Now you will calm down and apologize for what you said."

Draco took a deep breath and turned to the floo.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, I just hate that Weasel." Draco huffed, and then said softly, "and for what it's worth, I'm sorry about Fred. I always thought the Twins were funny, I was sad to hear what happened to him."

"Thank you, Draco." Ginny said, genuinely. Draco nodded, turned on his heel, and went back into Hermione's bedroom.

"I'd better go, I'll owl you if there is any news. Bye, love." Ginny yawned and the fire returned to embers. Hermione brushed herself off and followed Draco to her room. She peeked around the door and saw that Draco sitting on the bed.

"Draco?" She asked quietly, walking in and shutting the door behind her.

"I'm still angry, I think you are being stu-"

"Harry is the closest thing I have to family, Draco." She interjected, sitting next to him and placing a hand on his knee, "Ronald will do one of two things. Either he will find me, or he won't. If he does find me, we'll figure something out. I have a whole team of people helping me now, I will be okay."

He put his hand over hers.

"You are mine now, not his. I'm not going to let him hurt you." He took a deep breath, and then snorted. "Not like it will be that hard to do so. I don't know how the git didn't flunk out of Hogwarts in our first year."

"It was because I did all his assignments for him." Hermione said with an eye roll. "Don't be fooled though Draco. When he gets angry, he gets reckless and very dangerous."

"I'll kill him if he lays a finger on you." He growled.

"I'm a big girl Draco, I can defend myself." She said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I know, but for some reason, I'm quite inclined to protect you." he leaned down and caught her in a kiss. She leaned up a little and deepened it briefly before pulling away.

"Draco, I think it's time to take a shower." She said, getting them to their feet.

"And why should we do that?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Well, it's not because you stink." She said pulling him towards the bathroom.


End file.
